Violet
by Maddaz a Hatter
Summary: Belle was a nerdy, shy and insecure person when she left her fifth year at Hogwarts. After being rejected by the man of her dreams, Remus Lupin, Belle wants to change - and change she does. Will Belle allow Remus back into her heart? Will she let him uncover her most guarded secret? Lust, hilarity, jealousy, dancing and true love. Follow their story and see what happens.
1. Chapter 1

**A.N—So, I've decided that this is going to be my last fanfic for the next few months, so please enjoy and review and well...be awesome.  
The prompt for this fanfic was actually a favourite movie of mine, Centre Stage. Now, as many of you lot have probably figured out by now, I am a dancer, and I've studied a few genres in the last eleven years since I started, but the one I have the most passion for is ballet. I know that's really stupid and cliché, but I have been DYING to write a dancer fic for ages. Literally years. So please, enjoy and tell me what you think. **

**Disclaimer—Yeah, yeah, I know. **

Chapter One

Rejection.

Two figures stood facing each other, a metre apart in the deserted corridor on the fourth floor of Hogwarts. The torches threw bizarre shadows that shimmered onto the walls and the stone floors gleamed in the dim light, the cloak of black night seeping in through the windows.

The boy's name was Remus Lupin and he was tall, with hair the colour of almonds and kind amber eyes. There was a small scar above his left eyebrow that ran up to and behind his hairline. He was standing with his hands in his pockets, looking at the floor and seemed troubled, almost uncomfortable, even.

The girl across from him was biting her lip, looking at him from behind rectangular glasses with the most astonishing eyes imaginable. They were almond shaped and the same colour as violets, however, this was her most distinguishing feature, as her honey coloured hair was falling out of her bun, shielding her face and she stood hunched, like she hoped to avoid all attention, her arms encircled around a massive book. She looked like a stereotypical nerd and he looked like he was at the height of coolness.

"Belle..." Remus began, speaking to the girl as he looked up, amber eyes meeting violet. "I'm so sorry. But, I just...I don't feel that way about you."

The girl named Belle lowered her gaze, swallowing thickly and tucking a stubborn strand of hair behind her ear, only to have it fall back over her face.

"Oh," she breathed, sounding devastated. "I see."

Remus sighed and took a step forward, tipping her chin up so that her face was upturned towards his own, but still she did not look at him.

"Listen." he whispered, "It's just too...complicated right now. I'm sorry." he took in her downcast expression and added in a soft, sincere and gentle tone, "You deserve so much better than me."

Belle finally met his gaze as a tear slipped down her cheek, and she silently moved away from him, taking a step...and then another...and then another before turning and walking away, her heart breaking to pieces as she left. She'd known that it had been a bad idea to confess her feelings for him, but she just couldn't keep it to herself anymore.

Belle had been kidding herself. Why would Remus Lupin, one of the most popular boys in school, want her? A nerdy, shy, unattractive girl that couldn't form a coherent sentence in front of him? Belle snorted and picked up her pace, wiping her cheeks as she entered the Common room, racing up to her dorm and shutting the door behind her. The book she had been holding like a lifeline dropped to the floor with a huge thud as she slid down to the hard wood floor and curled her arms around her knees, allowing the sobs that had been building up to break free, expressing her grief and letting her heart break a little more.

"Belle?"

She sat up straight and gasped, wiping her reddening cheeks furiously. "Lily."

"What's happened?"

Belle was hit by a sudden thought and she stood up, grasping her friend by the shoulders. "I need your help."

"What with?"

"A change. I don't want to be this person anymore."

"Then who do you want to be?"

"The real me." Belle replied. "Will you help me?"

Lily gave Belle a strange look before nodding, enveloping her friend in a hug as she began to cry again.


	2. Chapter 2

**A.N—Yes, I am back! How are you all this fine summers day? (Or winter if you don't live in Australia) please leave a review and tell me what you think because you all know by now that I won't update unless I get some feedback. **

**Now, I know what you're all thinking- "Wait, She's already done a Remus x OC fic. What is she up to?" Well, just know that in this one, things are going to be very different to the Sophia story. **

**Enjoy! **

**Thanks for all the positive feedback that I've got so far! It makes me smile, so keep it coming!**

**Disclaimer—I own nothing. **

Chapter Two

Changes.

Shrieks of laughter and joyful giggles echoed along the pristine pathways and parched lawns that connected Ceres Street to the rest of the world. The residents of this street were a friendly lot, always smiling and conversing with their neighbours, not knowing that two young witches lived amongst them.

These said witches were having a grand time, running through sprinklers and fighting for control of the water hose. It was a steaming summers day, heat waves could be seen rising from the earth and the grass seemed to turn gold before their very eyes. One of the witches was a beautiful girl with deep red hair that lay in drenched curls to the middle of her back, sparkling green eyes and a sprinkling of freckles against her cheekbones and small button nose. Lily was smiling happily as she drenched her friend by dumping water over her head, the bucket in her hand whilst the other clutched at her stomach from the force of her laughter.

It was clear that Belle had changed over the summer, not just in appearance, but in her manner. Her honey coloured hair now reached past her waist, framing her heart shaped face. Her skin was deeply tanned, but it was her eyes that drew attention. They were almond shaped and the colour of violets, and no longer hidden behind thick glasses athough right now, they were torn between annoyance and amusement.

"Lily!" Belle cried with a tiny laugh. "No fair!"

"All is fair in summer and war." Lily giggled. "Oh, come on Belle, I was only having fun."

Belle smiled. "I know." she replied as she trained the hose at Lily, letting a jet of could water hit her in the face. Lily screamed, ducking for cover, a grin plastered on her face. Belle shut the water off ans shook her head, droplets scattering the grass and pathway, only to evaporate into the heat. Lily peeked out from the car, checking if the coast was clear, and when she saw it was, walked around and tossed a towel to Belle, still laughing slightly.

"I can't believe that summer is almost over." Lily sighed sadly, looking at the sun that was slowly making its way across the sky, closer to the horizon. "Feels like yesterday when we left."

"Aren't you excited to be going back though?" Belle asked, referring to their boarding school, Hogwarts. It was a special school for young witches and wizards to learn their craft. It was rumoured to be the best academy for magic in the whole world and Belle didn't doubt that for a moment. Hogwarts was like a second home to her, away from her four older brothers.

Belle looked at Lily's troubled face and sighed. "Oh. Right. _That_."

"Mmm." Lily agreed,walking into the house, Belle following her.

Lily hadn't had the best end-of-year experience. Her childhood best friend Severus Snape had betrayed her and called her the cruellest and foulest name in the wizarding world; _Mudblood_. It was a name for people who were born to non-magic parents, but in truth, your parents made no difference to your magical ability. Still it had hurt Lily in the deepest way and Belle had never felt so angry and so helpless in one afternoon.

"I don't really want to go back." Lily whispered, lowering her glass of orange juice. Belle eyes grew wide.

"What?"

"I don't really want—"

"I heard you, I'm just processing." Belle murmured, cutting Lily off. "But you love Hogwarts!"

"I know. I just don't think I can handle the drama anymore." Lily sighed. Belle looked worried.

"The Lily Evans I know would never give up without a fight." she said. Lily smiled a little. Belle walked around the bench and hugged Lily, despite the fact that their clothes were cold and wet. "And I would miss you if you didn't come with me."

That did it and Lily laughed. "I hate it when you do that!"

Belle grinned and stepped back. "So you'll come?"

Lily rolled her green eyes. "I suppose so."

Belle clapped her hands together. "Wonderful!"

"Hey! You two! Keep it down!" the shrill yell of Petunia Evans sounded from the living room, the TV on in the background. Belle raised an eyebrow at Lily, who simply smirked.

"And I've lived with her my whole life." Lily sighed. Belle chuckled and followed Lily upstairs, changing into dry clothes. The Daily Prophet sat on the desk, its caption reading that the Death Eaters had attacked yet another town, not even three miles from them.

"It's getting worse." Belle murmured, picking up the paper. "Fourteen people dead and over twenty missing."

"The weather is changing too." Lily added, looking out the window to the horizon where black and grey storm clouds were gathering, thunder rumbling and lighting flashing. "He's getting stronger, Tink."

"Don't call me that." Belle snapped. Lily had called her Tinker Bell, or Tink for short, since their first term together in first year. It annoyed Belle, and she was constantly telling Lily off for it.

"But it's so cute!" Lily cried in protest. Belle rolled her eyes and flopped down on the carpet, pulling a box of nail polish towards her and turning the radio on. Lily left the room for a moment while Belle fiddled with the dial, trying to find a good station. Lily reappeared with a bag of cotton balls, a bottle of nail polish remover and a big bag of chips.

Together that sang along to the radio, laughing and chattering away. The storm clouds that were gathering outside crept closer and soon, the rain was pounding against the glass of the window and lightning flashed. Lily put the lamp on and opened the chips, ignoring the ghastly weather that had—hours before—been perfect.

Belle got up and stretched looking out the window and then freezing. "Lily."

"Hmmm?"

"There's someone standing outside the house."

"What?" Lily gasped, getting up and going to the window, her wand clutched in her hand. She peeked around the edge of the curtain and her face paled.

"Who is it?"

"Snape." she whispered, her voice cut with pain and...fear?

Belle frowned and got up, going to Lily's side, looking out the window herself, seeing Severus Snape standing in the pouring rain, looking up at the window with a solemn expression, his black eyes cold and distant. It was a moment before he moved on, dragging his feet and hitching up the hood of his coat, disappearing into the thick rain. Lily slid down the wall and said nothing, her face expressing everything.

Belle sat next to her, putting an arm around Lily's shoulders. "It'll be okay, Lily. And I'm sure that he didn't mean what he said."

Belle had refrained from talking about that incident, but she figured that they should get it off their chests before they went back to school tomorrow.

"He meant it." Lily croaked. "He let it slip out, but he meant it. He always told me that blood status means nothing, but why would he say that when he enforces the belief that it does?"

Belle had a suspicion, but she didn't say anything. "Listen. This year is a new beginning. You still have me and Mary and Stefan. We'll look after you, and more importantly, we'll have fun this year, okay?"

Lily smiled a little and put her arms around Belle. "Okay then."

"Good." she said. "Now, let's get everything ready for tomorrow because knowing your mum, we'll be running late."

Rosaline Evans was the exact opposite of her husband, and was always late for everything. She was a hopeless cook and hated cleaning. Joel Evans stayed at was a house husband, and Rosaline worked as a lecturer at a University in the town.

Lily giggled, getting to her feet and dragging her large trunk out. "Speaking of Mary, have you heard from her all summer?"

"Not since I came here, but then again, she is on vacation with her family in Spain."

"I wish I could go to Spain." Lily mumbled, "And get away from my sister."

"I know she's a little rough around the edges, but I'm sure she's not so bad."

"She's only being nice because you're here." Lily said and Belle raised an eyebrow doubtfully. Petunia had been anything but nice to her. "Trust me, she hates having me around and people just like me."

"You mean witches and wizards?" Belle asked dryly. "What is she going to do? Surely she realises that the odds of you marrying a wizard is likely, and then you'll have cute little wizarding babies, and she'll have to make up with you eventually because she's your family. Do you think I don't want to kill my brothers from time to time, but I can't because they're family and deep down I love them."

"Yeah, but your family is pureblood." Lily replied, folding her robes neatly.

"So? Pureblood or Muggle, all siblings love each other."

Lily sighed sadly. "Tell that to Tuney."

Belle shrugged and continued packing. Belle had four older brothers, Toby, Adrian, Jeremy and Kohl. Toby was the eldest, followed by the twins, Jeremy and Kohl, then Adrian. They had all left Hogwarts and were fighting in the war against Voldemort, so Belle only saw them once in a while.

"How is Adrian?" Lily asked a little slyly. Belle cringed a little. She didn't understand why Lily liked Adrian when she had Stefan reeling after her and even James Potter. Lucky girl.

"He's fine."

"Oh, come on, Tink, I'm only teasing." Lily joked, "You should have seen your face!"

"I just don't know why anyone would like my brother."

"Because he's a complete fittie?" Lily suggested and Belle gagged.

"What about Stefan?" Belle countered and Lily flushed, her cheeks the same shade as her hair. It was pretty obvious to anyone who had eyes that Stefan had a crush on Lily, who happened to be his best friend and that Lily harboured a mild fancy for him as well.

A soft thud drew Belle from her thoughts and she blushed, stooping to hurriedly stuff the object into her trunk. Lily missed this, continuing her packing and Belle heaved a silent sigh of relief. The questions that would have been raised if Lily had seen her pointe shoe.

Belle had been studying to become a ballerina since she was three years old. She had attended classes at the London Academy of Ballet for years and soon there were auditions to enter into the Royal London Ballet Company. It was one of the biggest and esteemed in the world and it was the ultimate goal for Belle.

Not that she would tell anyone about it. If she did, they would laugh at her. She still needed to take classes, so every Tuesday and Thursday after school and Saturday nights, she would floo to her brother Adrian's house and attend her necessary classes.

"Tink? You okay?"

Belle shook her head to clear her thoughts and nodded. "Yeah," she replied, though her voice was slightly higher than usual. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Lily gave her a strange look, but dropped the matter, continuing her task. Belle sat down on the bed, stowing the ballet shoe into a secret compartment, away from the prying eyes of others.

**A.N—I have a proposition for you all. For all of you people who review, you will get a sneak peak that the next chapter. I'll do this for the rest of the fanfic. How does that sound? Fair deal? **

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**GO ON. IT'S RIGHT THERE!**

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	3. Chapter 3

**A.N—So what do you all think so far?**

**Disclaimer—I own nothing.**

Chapter Three

Seeing is Believing.

The scarlet Hogwarts Express let out a plume of thick white steam, a screech filling the air. Chatter and excited squeals emanated from all around, Belle and Lily adding their own giggles to the fray. Petunia, Mr and Mrs Evans walked in front of them, looking around in wonder, Lily's trunk behind them. Finally, they came to a stop and turned to embrace their daughter and Belle.

"Have a good term. We'll see you at Christmas." Mrs Evans said, squeezing a little more air out of her daughter. Lily laughed and stepped away, glancing at her sister before looking down. Mrs Evans looked at Petunia sternly.

"Say goodbye to your sister." Mrs Evans said and Petunia scowled, crossing her arms.

"Bye." she spat, looking anywhere but at Lily. Belle swallowed and bit her lip.

"Thank you for letting me stay." Belle said, shaking Mrs Evans hand. "I had a lovely time."

"Next summer you'll have to stay the full two months!" Mrs Evans cried, hugging Belle and then releasing her, smiling. Belle saw Petunia roll her eyes, but chose to ignore it. Grabbing Lily's hand, she climbed onto the train and waved one last time to the Evans family before going down to find Mary, and a compartment.

The train began to move and Lily led the way past the compartments, looking for Mary. Finally, they found her halfway down the train, looking out the window. Her curly blonde hair was long and she had wide blue eyes set into a kind face. She was petite, her pink lips curled in a smile that radiated friendliness. When the door opened, Mary rushed to hug her friends, gushing and squealing with excitement.

The three sat down, talking about their summers. Hours passed by and the sun was sinking lower in the sky, the lamps in the compartment going on. The candy lady came past, allowing the three girls to purchase sweets and their lunches.

"So, what did you do for the first half of summer?" Mary asked Belle, grimacing at the flavour of her Bertie Botts jelly bean.

_Went to a summer ballet program where I learned how to do pas de deux work._ "Nothing much. Spent some time with Adrian and Toby." Belle replied with a nonchalant shrug. Mary nodded and grabbed another box of sweets as the door slid open.

"Oh no." Lily groaned, leaning her head against the window. Four boys had entered their compartment and they were no other than the famous Marauders themselves. First came Sirius Black, who was easily the handsomest boy at Hogwarts with his long black hair that sat roguishly on his brow, gem-like blue-grey eyes that shone with mischief and his mouth that was now curved into a cheeky smile. After him came James Potter; his eyes were hazel behind his round glasses, his black hair stuck up in every direction and he stood tall and lean, his skin slightly tanned from a summer spent near the beach. Peter Pettigrew stumbled in after James, and he stood short, with brown hair falling messily into his watery blue eyes. His face was pale and chubby, and he wore a blank, confused expression. Lastly loped in Remus Lupin, and Belle blushed a little when she saw him. She noticed that his shoulders had broadened over summer and that muscle bulged from under his thin blue T-shirt.

"Hello ladies." Sirius said, dropping into the seat next to Mary. "How are you all this fine summers day?"

Lily ignored them all and continued to stare out the window. Belle shifted in her seat and pulled a book out from her bag, turning to a page and began reading. Mary brought her magazine up, her face hiding behind it.

"Grey? That can't possibly be you!" Sirius scoffed and Belle met his gaze unflinchingly, giving him a look of absolute disgust before turning to her book. "What happened?"

"I found a genie." she replied dryly, turning the page.

"Now if you don't mind..."Lily said, pointing to the door. They ignored her.

"You look good." Remus said in a low voice and Belle looked at him, her eyes wide. She bit her lip, drawing her book closer to her.

"Thank you." she mumbled, avoiding his gaze.

"So, good summer?" James asked and no one answered, the compartment filled with an awkward silence.

"Uh, we should...we should go." Remus said awkwardly, pointing to the door and grabbing Sirius by the collar, dragging him out of the compartment, shutting the door behind him.

The story of Lily Evans and James Potter was a long, hilarious and very repetitive. It was the same, day in and day out. He would ask her out on a date, she would say no, then he would bug her until she was forced into either hexing him or cursing very loudly until he left her alone. Belle had been there last year at the lake and had seen the instant where James had ruined Lily's friendship with someone she cared about. She had seen the regret and the sorrow that had passed over James' face as he had watched her walk away, silent tears streaming down her face.

Belle shook her head, getting up to change into her school robes. The train came to a stop after a while, and Mary looped her arms through Lily's and Belle's, leading them to the carriages, jumping over puddles and covering their heads as best they could against the pounding rain. They climbed into them and Belle smiled sadly when she saw the Thestral snorting and pawing the ground, waiting. Lily shut the door behind her and the carriage began to move, heading up to the large castle. It was truly a magnificent sight, even through the rain, the lights glowing like fireflies in the dark.

The carriage soon came to a halt and the three girls stepped out, running into the hall and laughing as they dried themselves off. They made their way into the bright hall, hundreds of candles lit and hovering in midair above the house tables. The girls found their friend Stefan further down the table. He was easily spotted because he was so tall, broad and every inch of him hard muscle. He had a brooding forehead, blue eyes under a mop of blonde hair and a sweet smile. He hugged them all and smiled.

"How was your summer?" Lily asked, brushing her hair back and blushing slightly. Stefan grinned and leaned on his elbows.  
"Good."

"And the camp was fun?" Lily prompted.

"Yeah. I made really good friends with the mosquito's." he said, and Lily laughed. Belle smiled and Mary giggled.

"Aside from that?"

"Alright." Stefan said, "I saw Belle in London two weeks after school ended."

Belle blinked, her heart rate picking up in fright. "You did?"

"Yeah, I said hi, but you didn't see me. You looked like you were in a rush. You were near Big Ben."

Belle nodded; had been on her way to class. "Oh, right. I was on my way to meet Toby for lunch. I don't get to see him much, now, so I didn't want to be late." she lied. Stefan nodded, accepting her lie and Lily turned her gaze to watch the sorting. Mary, however was frowning at Belle, her brow pinched.

"What?" Belle whispered.

"Nothing." Mary sighed, looking sad.

They applauded politely each time a student was sorted into Gryffindor and the feats began. Belle piled up her plate with salads and chicken, but stayed away from the really heavy meats and pies. She had always been concious over what she ate, as any dancer was, but that didn't mean that she was going to starve herself. She'd rather eat healthily and in big proportions than get sick from not eating at all.

"Not hungry?"

Belle looked up and blushed when she saw Remus smiling at her, a fork in his hand and sitting a little way down the table.

"Nah, not really." she replied. Remus nodded.

"Good summer?"

"Yeah, very good in fact. Yours?"

His smile slipped a little, like something was bothering him, but he recovered so quickly Belle was sure she had imagined it. "Alright. Would have been better if someone had answered my letters." he said, looking at Lily pointedly. She was too busy talking to Stefan to notice. Belle smirked and scooped another forkful of pasta salad into her mouth.

"What did you do over summer?" he asked. Belle smiled, swallowing.

"Nothing much. Went to the pool a lot."

"It was very hot, wasn't it?"

Belle blushed a little more. "Yeah."

"You look tanned."

"Thank you?" she said awkwardly. Remus grinned.

"It was a compliment." he laughed. Belle bit her lip and looked down at her plate.

Dumbledore got to his feet and spread his arms, silence falling immediately. Dumbledore was the sort of man who radiated authority and calm. His presence demanded respect and humility, and every student in the school, even the Slytherin's, respected the old wizard.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts!" he called, his voice echoing around the large hall. "Welcome to our new students and to our old students, please refrain from corrupting the younger ones too much."

James, Remus and Sirius whistled innocently.

"I am also pleased to announce that we have a new caretaker, Mr Filch." Dumbledore said and there was a pathetic round of applause that quickly died away.

"Onto a more serious matter. You will all have no doubt heard about the tragic massacre that occurred this summer in Liverpool."

Everyone in the Hufflepuff table shifted; one of them, a girl named Darla, had been killed and she had only been twelve years old. "I say these next words in the hope you will heed them. Danger lies outside the walls of this castle. Enemies fearsome and unyielding await and you will have to face them. Be wary."

Everyone looked at him with wide eyes.

"Now, off to bed you trot." Dumbledore said, clapping his hands. The sounds of benches scraping against stone floors echoed through the hall and Belle looked at Lily.

"I hope he didn't think that was inspirational." she murmured. Lily frowned, and for some reason, began to rub her forearm.


	4. Chapter 4

**A.N—I'm making this up as I go. **

**Disclaimer—I own nothing you recognise.**

Chapter Four  
Brain Damage

"Stare any harder, Prongs, and you'll burn a hole in her head." Remus smirked.

James glared and looked back down at his plate, pushing eggs around. Remus knew that his friend still felt guilty over what happened last June, and that he probably would for the rest of his life. Remus felt guilty because he had just stood there and watched while it happened. He hadn't done anything.

Remus stood up and slung his bag over his shoulder. "Come on, we have to get to class."

"Do we have to?" Sirius groaned, lifting his head off the table. Remus smiled.

"Yes."

Sirius rolled his eyes and sighed, getting up like this was a burden. "Fine."

Together, the marauders walked to the fourth floor, where their Defence Against the Dark Arts class was being held this year. The found seats in the back, where they huddled with their heads together, talking in whispers.

Belle, Mary, Lily and Stefan sat down at their own table, unpacking their books and talking about their new teacher, who had failed to show up at the welcoming feast.

"Settle down, settle down." a voice called. They turned around and all the boys felt their mouths go dry. A young woman with short black hair, green eyes that were rimmed with black kohl and dressed like a bounty hunter stood in the doorway. Every inch of her was covered in black and on the side of her face, next to her right eye, was a tattoo of an intricate crescent moon. It was a symbol that belonged to a group of witches and wizards called the Firesdem, people who lived and trained to be warriors and only the most courageous and dedicated earned the tattoo.

This woman was not to be messed with.

"My name is Kendra Taylor." she said, walking forwards, the heels of her shoes clacking against the stone floor. "Your new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Please do not call me professor though, it makes me feel old. Just call me Kendra or Miss Taylor."

She stopped when she got to the desk, turning to face them. Belle looked around the classroom and saw that all the boys were sitting up straight, looking at Kendra with rapt attention. It wasn't very often that they got a teacher that was close to their age, and when they did, they took advantage of that.

"As I understand it, your year has exceeded your learning ability in this subject substantially. You're all sixth years but can defend yourselves as well as a first year Auror." she continued and everyone sat up straighter. This was a tremendous compliment coming from a Firesdem.

"But, despite the fact you have good skill in fighting with a wand, you're all still vulnerable." Kendra said. Belle and Lily shared a look.

"Tell me," Kendra said, walking over to stand in front of Stefan, "What would you do if you were faced by a Death Eater and they had a wand, but you didn't?"

"Um..."

"Exactly my point." Kendra said, clicking her fingers and pointing at Stefan, who looked a little alarmed. "This year, you will continue to study magic, but you will also learn to defend yourselves the Muggle way. You will be surprised how often this skill will save your life."

"Speaking from experience?" Sirius called to her, and Kendra's lips twitched.

"As a matter of fact." she replied and Sirius looked surprised.

"Now, for this, I will be pairing you up, boy girl, to practise these techniques. You can also be study partners for our theory lessons. At the end of the year, I will assess you and you partners on how well you work together, and how well you fight against each other. There will be no swapping partners, no discussion or excuses. I will only reconsider swapping if there is a serious disagreement. Now, onto the pairings."

Kendra pulled out a scroll and leaned back against her desk, reading out the names. Belle blushed and sank down in her chair when she heard she was partnered with Remus, wishing it could have been anybody else.

Lily however, lowered her head to the table and Belle was worried that she had started crying. James Potter had been assigned as her partner and although he looked pleased, Lily looked like she was living in a nightmare.

"Why me? Why me?" Lily was mumbling. Belle patted her friends shoulder sympathetically as Stefan and Mary got up to work with their partners.

"Excuse me? May I sit down?"

Lily raised her head off her arms and looked up at Remus, his arm curled around his books while the other was in his pocket, looking casual and elegant. Belle avoided his gaze and looked out the window instead and curled her golden hair around her finger.

"Of—of course. Sorry." Lily mumbled scooping up her books and trudging over to James just as Remus sat down, his leg briefly brushing Belle's and that only made her blush harder.

"Are you alright? You look flushed."

Belle nodded. "Fine."

Remus blinked a few times but then nodded. He took out his notebook and quill, but it rolled off the desk and onto the floor. He muttered a curse, and bent down at the same time Belle did to retrieve it. Their hands closed over the quill at the same moment, and bolts of lightning flew up their arms where their skin made contact. Belle looked at Remus and he took a moment to notice that her eyes were the same shade as violets. Rather odd, but also very, very attractive. How had he not noticed this before?

"Sorry." she mumbled quickly, sitting up straight and removing her hand from the quill, looking anywhere but him, her cheeks going pink.

Remus was frozen, staring at her in wonder. _What the hell had just happened?_ He shook his head. "That's fine."

Belle cleared her throat. "Anyway, where would you like to...erm, study?"

"There's an empty classroom on the sixth floor next to that suit of bronze armour." he suggested. "Nobody uses that place."

"Why not?"

"Because years ago the Bloody Baron scared a child so badly that the poor boy was sent to an insane asylum where, three months later, he killed himself."

Belle had gone very pale and was blinking rapidly. "Well then," she all but squeaked. "I suppose we can use it."

Remus smiled at her a little cheekily, but said nothing else.

Belle breathed in the scent of sweat, hairspray and mothballs. The classic aroma of a ballet studio and Belle loved it. She stood at the barre, a leg propped up as she stretched. Girls around her were breaking in their new pointe shoes, smiling as they talked. So far she hadn't made any new friends, but the day had just begun.

Belle knelt down, pulling her battered shoes on and doing a few rises up onto her toes to warm up. Someone tapped her on the shoulder and Belle spun around before letting out an excited squeal, flinging her arms around the boy. He was tall and lean, but muscled from hours spent lifting weights and holding up girls. He had curly black hair, brown eyes and cute dimples. His name was Harley, and he had grown up with Belle. They were both magically gifted, both been in the same ballet classes with her and once, they had been the best of friends.

"Harley! Oh my God! It's so good to see you! How have you been?" Belle gasped, stepping back and taking in his appearance, he had changed in the three years they had been apart.

"Good." he replied, in an Irish accent that had not faded over the years. "And you? I must say I never expected to see you here."

Belle gasped in fake insult. "Gee, thanks!"

"That's not what I meant!" Harley chuckled.

"I know. I've been at Hogwarts."

"No kidding!" Harley smiled. Belle nodded.

"So, what have you been up to?"

"Training with Harriet Davies." Harley replied and Belle's jaw dropped.

"Really? She's the best ballet mentor in the country!"

Harley smirked smugly. "I know."

"You lucky git." she muttered. Harley nudged her playfully. They exchanged pleasantries for a while, warming up at the same time.

"Are you doing anything next Saturday?" he asked, sounding hopeful.

"Um, no, why?" Belle replied.

"I was wondering if you'd like to grab dinner or something." he began, but added hastily, "Just so we can catch up. It-it wouldn't be a date to anything I just thought—"

"I'd love to." she said, smiling. Harley grinned just as the door opened. Two men in their late thirties entered accompanied by three women, one who was rather large. They surveyed the crowd of students with something that could be disdain or pride.

"Welcome to a new year here at the London Academy of Ballet." The director, Jonathan Fitz said, his arms clasped in front of him. "If you work harder every day here than you ever have in your life, I promise you will become the best dancer you can possibly be. For your pas de deux class you will switch partners every week until we find the right match. You and your partners must have a connection, the same passion and drive to dance. I will personally be overseeing these classes. For now, girls, you will stay here for your technique class with Mrs Dewe, and the boys, you will come with me."

He bowed. "Ladies."

Harley winked at Belle before leaving the room and the large woman went over to the piano and the other stepped forwards. She was thin, pale and had red hair that was pulled up into a tight bun on top of her head. Her eyes were brown but warm and kind.

"Let us begin." Mrs Dewe called to the class. Belle hurried to her place at the barre and stood ready, a smile on her face. She was home.

Belle walked into the common room feeling sore and tired, but oddly elated. She had a date with a guy, a totally cute, sweet, guy that was NOT Remus. Even though, she was partnered with him, so she would have to deal with that sooner or later. She could see Lily and Stefan sitting on the couch, reading together. They would make a good couple, Belle thought.

"There you are!" Mary cried, "We've been looking all over the place!"

"Sorry."

"Were you with McGonagall?" Lily asked. Belle blinked, her mind a million miles away.

"Uh, yeah. Why?"

"No reason." Lily replied, looking at her with a sly twinkle in her eye. "but Remus is looking for you. Said something about notes?"

Belle raised her eyebrows. "Oh. Okay. Um, do you know where he is?"

"Upstairs." Stefan replied, referring to the boys dorm. "Sixth landing. Can't miss it."

"Thanks." Belle replied, hurrying up the stairs and pausing for a second before she knocked on the door.

"We're closed!" came Sirius's voice.

"Shut up Padfoot." Remus sighed. The door opened and James stood there, leaning against the door frame and smirking down at her.

"Hello Miss Grey."

"Hello James. Is Remus here?"

Remus appeared at James's side and was holding a stack of notes which he passed to her. "Here."

"Uh, thanks." she replied, looking a little affronted before walking away. James turned to his friend as he shut the door.

"Are you truly mental?"

"An argument could be made over who the mental one in this room is." Remus replied drily.

"Hey!" Sirius cried in indignation. Remus rolled his eyes and sat down on his bed. James crossed his arms.

"Do I need to spell it out for you?" James asked dryly. "Grey fancies you."

"I know." Remus sighed. "Or at least she did."

"Yo-you know?" James repeated, his jaw going slack. "Then why the hell aren't you dating her?"

"Because I don't fancy her." Remus said, sounding annoyed.

"Then I suggest you tell her that." Sirius called as he placed down a card that instantly blew up in Peter's face, singing his eyebrows.

"I already did." Remus said, flexing his left hand. He was remembering that single second when their hands had touched and he had felt like his arm was on fire. "Besides, you know how I feel about dating."

"Grey isn't like that. She can see past her nose." James snorted.

"Then why don't you date her?" Remus snapped. James smirked.

"Date Evans' best friend? I don't think so."

"So you're still hung up about her?" Sirius sighed.

"It's only—" James began.

"Ever going to be her. We know." Sirius, Remus and Peter droned in sync. James blinked.

"I must have said that a few times." he said, hands on hips.

"A few hundred." Sirius muttered, pulling on a shirt before climbing into bed.

"Anyway, Moony, you need to talk to Grey." James said, sounding mature for once in his life.

"James?" Sirius called.

"Hmm?"

"What happened?"

"Huh?"

"You're acting all mature."

"So?"

"I was wondering how hard you hit your head." Sirius smirked. "You must have brain damage or something—CAREFUL NOW!"


	5. Chapter 5

**A.N—Cuteness in this. REVIEW! **

**Disclaimer—No.**

**OoOoO**

Chapter Five  
Water Fountains.

Belle sighed, running a hand through her hair one more time before smoothing out the skirt of her dress. Lily came up behind her, a smile on her face.

"You look pretty." she said, "What's the occasion?"

Belle hesitated as she picked up her purse and coat. "I...have a date."

Lily's eyes widened and a wide smile drew across her lips. "No way."

"Yeah," Belle said.

"Remus changed his mind?" Lily said, taking Belle's shoulders and practically glowing with excitement.

"No." Belle said quietly. "It's some other guy."

"Who?"

"He doesn't go here." Belle replied, "I met him over summer."

"What's his name?" Lily asked, her smile fading and she stepped away, wearing an expression of extreme disappointment.

"Harley le Jon." Belle said, walking over to the fireplace and scooping up some green powder. "And I have a date with him in ten minutes, so I really have to go."

"Okay then. Have fun." Lily said, sounding a bit strained. Belle frowned.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked.

"Like what?"

"Like you have something to say but don't want to say it because you think you'll hurt my feelings." Belle said, folding her arms. "Come on. Spit it out."

"I just don't know what to think about this whole thing. I mean, one minute you fancy Remus, the next you're going on a date." Lily said, sliding her hands in her pocket, and raising her shoulders before letting them drop.

"Okay, well, I distinctly remember telling Remus how I feel, and he turned me down. He doesn't want me, Lily, and I have a life to live too. I am not going to wait around for him because he may not ever feel that way. I might as well...move on." Belle said, a tad annoyed. She threw the powder into the fire before turning to look at Lily.

"I'm sorry." Lily murmured, looking upset. "Have fun tonight. And make sure you tell me all the details later!"

Belle smiled. "I will." she promised as she stepped into the fire, disappearing. She landed in the Leaky Cauldron, and she walked from the pub to a restaurant called Gigi's. Harley was standing outside, leaning against the wall and holding a single deep throated violet wrapped in blue tissue paper. He looked good in jeans and a dress coat with a loose tie hanging around his neck.

"Harley!" she called and he smiled at her, handing her the flower.

"For you." he said, bowing slightly and she curtsied with a smile, taking it.

"Thank you." she said and he put and arm around her waist, leading her into the restaurant, where they sat at a table for two examining their menus.

"So, you've been going to Hogwarts?" Harley said.

"Yeah." she replied. "Where have you been going?"

"Oh, mum has been teaching me at home." he replied, "But I was thinking of transferring them there next year for my NEWT's."

Belle smiled. "Really?"

"Yeah," he said, meeting her gaze. She smiled, twirling her hair around her finger and completely ignoring the waiter when he came to take their orders.

"Not much of a ballerina diet, huh?" Harley said when she'd asked for the lasanga. She shrugged. "You know, you're not what I expected as a dancer. I mean, I remember when we were kids and in class, you were the best, but..."

"If you mean I don't throw up after every meal and have a giant stick up my arse, then no, I'm not a normal ballerina." she replied with a smile. "But I like who I am now."

"Yeah, I noticed that you'd lost your glasses somewhere in the last three years." he laughed, leaning forwards on his elbows. Belle nodded.

"Yeah, something...happened to me last year and I just—"

"Wanted a change?" Harley supplied and Belle nodded.

"Exactly." she said. Harley reached across the table and took her hand in his, gently playing with her fingers while they talked. Soon enough, their dinner arrived and they ate, chattering all the same. Harley paid the bill, much to Belle's displeasure, and hand in hand, they left Gigi's, walking towards a popular little park. They just talked and talked, sharing stories from the last few years, reminisced about the good old days and spoke of their dreams for the future.

"I don't know if I'll get a future," Belle sighed sadly, "With this bloody war going on."

"Are you going to fight?" he asked.

"I don't know. I suppose so." she replied, "But I have my dancing career to think about too."

"And no one at Hogwarts knows that you do ballet?" he asked, sounding awed.

"Nope." she replied with a smile. "If they knew...I'd never hear the end of it."

"So, what do they think you do?"

"Extra transfiguration lessons." she replied and Harley snorted. "It's not that uncommon!"

"I know, it's just so funny!" he chuckled, sobering when Belle rolled her eyes, smiling herself. "So, what did they say when you told them you had a date tonight?"

"That I met you over summer." she replied.

"Is that all?"

"Pretty much." she shrugged and he sighed.

"I guess I'll have to make an impression myself, when I finally meet them."

"What makes you think you're meeting them?" she asked with a smile. Harley opened his mouth and then cocked his head to the side, listening. "What?"

"Hear that?" he asked, pointing over his shoulder. She frowned and he took her hand, leading her through the park, following the sound of music. They stopped in front of a huge crowd. A band was playing a slow waltz in front of a large water fountain and a many people were listening in complete rapture. Harley smiled down at her.

"Do you trust me?"

"Depends on what you're going to do." she replied uneasily and Harley grabbed her hand, pushing through the throng of people and to the front, putting his hand on her back, right where her shoulder blade was and clasping the other in his hand. She laughed when he began to lead her around in the dance. She noted how close they were, chest to chest and almost nose to nose. The chemistry was building between them and the music was getting louder in Belle's ears. It wasn't until Harley grabbed her by the waist and dipped her backwards that she was brought back to reality. The crowd applauded thunderously and she straightened up,grinning.

"Whoa. Where did you learn that?"

"I didn't." he whispered, with a wink. "I made it all up on the spot."

Belle laughed and he took her hand, walking away from the fountain, both of them still laughing. Belle glanced at her watch and swore under her breath; it was nearly midnight and way past curfew.

"I have to go!" she cried. Harley caught her hand as she tried to slip away.

"Wait!"

"What?" she asked.

"Can I see you again?"

She smiled, "Of course you can. I had a lot of fun."

He grinned in return, dimples in his cheeks. "Me too."

Belle had never been kissed before, and she didn't know what to do when he pressed his lips to hers except to put her hands on his shoulders and close her eyes. She pulled away after a long while, completely out of breath and dazed.

"I, um, should go. Curfew." she mumbled and Harley nodded.

"Sure." he said, kissing her again quickly. "Go."

Belle smiled at him one last time before racing through the park and towards Adrian's apartment, smiling like a loon the entire way.


	6. Chapter 6

**A.N—I'm not entirely sure how long this fic is going to be, but I'm determined to make it good, but I won't know if it's okay if you don't REVIEW!**

**Disclaimer—I own a dead stress ball, not Harry Potter.**

**OoOoO**

Chapter Six  
Green

Lily and Mary giggled, chattering about something that Remus couldn't hear. He threw James a look and he winked before leaning back in his chair.

"Oi Evans, what's so funny?" James called and Lily turned around and glared.

"None of your business." she snapped in return at the same time that Mary smirked.

"Ignore her." Mary called in reply, "We're just a little excited because Tink had a date last night."

"Tink?" Sirius drawled. "As in Grey?"

"Yes, Belle." Mary sighed before grabbing Lily's arm and turning her around. Remus couldn't describe how he felt in that moment. Acid seemed to bubble up inside of his stomach and he felt like he was going to be sick. His hands were clenched tightly and soon he felt the trickle of blood that told him he'd broken the skin on his palms. He'd never experienced rage or such sadness in his life...no. No, what he felt was jealousy.

He was jealous of this boy who now had Belle. But that didn't make any sense. He didn't feel that way about Belle, that was why he had turned her down all those months ago. Now...

"Bollocks." Remus breathed as he rubbed his forehead in frustration. James and Sirius moved away to work with their partners just as Belle came in, smiling and looking rushed.

"Sorry I'm late, I had a late night." she told him as she dumped her things on the desk and attempted to sort it all out as she did so, brushing her hair off her face.

"I heard." he replied, shocked at how dry and frustrated his voice sounded, even to him. Belle looked at him and frowned, making no comment.

"Okay then." she mumbled, dipping her quill into some ink and preparing to write. Remus didn't say anything else, still a little overwhelmed about what he had just discovered about himself. He could tell her how he felt, but then again, if he did that, she would throw it back in his face reminding him of the time when she had done the same thing and he had rejected her with coldness.

"So, what's this I hear about a new boyfriend?" he whispered against his better judgement.

"Why do you care?" she muttered back, not taking her eyes off her notebook.

"Well, you're Lily's friend, and I'm her friend, so I guess you could say I'm curious." he replied. It wasn't a total lie, but it wasn't the complete truth, either.

"Oh, I see." she replied, but didn't elaborate. Kendra Taylor kept explaining their new assignment and Remus paid her no heed.  
"So?"

"So what?" Belle sighed, looking up from her work and meeting his gaze. She had to crane her neck a little to do so, but did so anyway. Their eyes met and Remus bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself in his seat.

"So, what's he like?" he asked turning his head away.

"He's a gentleman." she replied. "And I like him a lot."

"Does he go here?"

"No."

"Where did you meet then?"

"Over summer in London."

"Is he Muggle or magical?"

"Magical." she replied in a bored voice, clearly not enjoying this conversation.

"Where does he go then if not here?"

"He's home schooled." she told him, her brow pinched in a frown, but Remus wanted to know more.

"Why?"

"Because he's training to be a dancer in the Royal London Ballet." she snapped angrily. Remus snorted.

"He's a ballerina?"

"So?" she said, glaring at him so hard her gaze could have started a fire.

"Nothing." Remus said, covering his mouth with his hand and chuckling. Belle rolled her eyes.

"Typical." she spat, writing out the notes savagely and in silence, ignoring him.

**OoOoO**

Across the room, Lily and James were watching this with raised eyebrows. "That does not look like a good conversation." he muttered in her ear and she jumped a thousand feet in the air.

"Don't do that!" she muttered and he shrugged defensively.

"Sorry." he jerked his head towards Remus and Belle. "What's going on with them?"

"Do I look like a mind reader, Potter?"

James frowned. "I was only asking a simple question, Evans. No need to get on your high horse."

"I wasn't—!" she began.

"Excuse me, James and Lily, is there a problem?"

They looked around at Kendra and shook their heads, Lily going the same shade as her hair. Kendra turned back to the board and began talking again. Lily sighed, putting her head on her hand and letting her hair shield her face from James's view.

"So, are you going to tell me what's going on or am I going to have to pester Remus until he cracks?"

"Tink has a new boyfriend and Remus is jealous, something he has no right to be, especially seeing as how he broke her heart last semester when he rejected her." Lily said through gritted teeth.

"You know, he might have a had a good reason." James said slowly and carefully. Lily rolled her eyes.

"Belle isn't one to care about his—what do you call it? Furry little problem."

James eyes grew comically large behind his glasses. "You know about that?"

"Yes." she replied with a dull sigh. "I'm not an idiot and neither is she."

"Well...I...erm..." he stuttered and she smirked.

"The point is that Tink can see past her nose, and Remus missed that, now he has to pay for his mistake."

"If he asked her out, what would she say?"

"No. She has a boyfriend." Lily replied like that was the most obvious thing in the world.

"If she didn't?"

"She'd still say no. She's not into self-inflicted pain and you didn't see her after he rejected her." Lily replied. "It took me an hour to calm her down and get her to tell me what had happened. She kept babbling on about how she wanted to change who she was, become someone new and to start over. You guys say she's acting different, well, that's because she wanted to be."

"So Moony is responsible for her transformation." James said thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. Lily rolled her eyes and the bell sounded. She got to her feet, scooping up her books and hurrying from the room, her hands shaking.

She hated it when he got so close to her. The air between them seemed to buzz with electricity every time and she wanted nothing more than to reach out and touch him. He was too good looking and charming for his own good.

She got so annoyed with him because he had the potential to be so much more than an arrogant schoolboy bully. Until he woke up and saw that she would keep her distance...or at least try to. She had lost count over how many times she'd dreamed about him. How many times she had wanted to kiss him or hold him or laugh at something funny he'd said.

The only way she could avoid all that was by being a bitch and ignoring him, pretending to hate him. She could see the hurt on his face every time she rejected him even though her heart screamed at her to say yes. But he needed to grow up.

When he did...well, she'd be the first to tell him so.


	7. Chapter 7

**A.N—Hmmm. What do you think?**

**Disclaimer—I own a black pair of pointe shoes, not Harry Potter. **

**OoOoO**

Chapter Seven

Holes

The months passed by quickly, and all too soon it was December. The streets of London were coated in a layer of white snow, and fresh snowflakes fell outside the window as Belle watched, a tiny smile on her face. Harley stood next to her in a white shirt and black tights, looking handsome ad graceful as he did so, his hand on her hip and watching the couple performing.

This could possibly be the last time they danced together, if they weren't assigned each other for the workshop that would happen at the end of the semester.

"No, no, go back!" Mr Fitz called and the couples on the floor stopped, dropping their positions. "I need to see the girls gesture to their boys. 'Hello! I am waiting!' And the boys rush over and kneel as if saying, 'Here I am, I am your slave.' Try it!"

Belle glanced up at Harley who winked at her, smirking slightly. Mr Fitz looked tired and frustrated. The group on the floor just wasn't getting it. They weren't feeling it.

"No, stop!" Mr Fitz called, clapping his hands and the girls dropped out of the lifts to the ground, looking slightly annoyed.

He gestured to Belle and Harley. "You two, on the floor, please."

Harley grinned at Belle and threw her a cheeky grin before they moved into position. Belle took a breath and stepped up onto pointe, going into her own world, moving in time with the piano and concentrating on the music. She didn't need to focus on the steps; it was as though her body was thinking for itself, moving and memorising every step, every extension, every smile and turn.

Finally the music stopped and Belle found herself in Harley's arms, an arm extended upwards and dipped backwards, their faces an inch apart.

"Good." Mr Fitz said, clapping and smiling broadly. "Very good! That students, is how it is done."

Belle smiled and Harley drew her up, winking. Mr Fitz dismissed the class and walked over to Belle and Harley, who were laughing.

"I want you two to partner each other permanently from now on. You work well together and I like what I'm seeing." he said, crossing his arms. Belle nodded.

"Of course, sir." Harley said and Mr Fitz walked away. Only when he had gone did Belle let out an excited squeal and throw her arms around Harley's neck, laughing. He caught her, spinning her around before pulling his head away far enough so he could kiss her. A shiver ran down her spine as a warmth spread over her lips and she pulled away after a while.

"What was that for?" she asked and he shrugged, lowering her to the ground.

"For being the most beautiful, amazing girl I know."

Belle blushed as she pulled on jeans, a jumper and took her hair out. "No I'm not."

"Yes you are," he said, kissing her nose. He moved away, picking up his bag and pulling on sweat pants and a hoodie before putting his arm around her. Together, they left the studio and picked up hot chocolates from a quaint little café.

"So, what are you doing for Christmas?" he asked, holding the door open for her as they stepped into the chilly winter air. Belle snuggled against him for warmth and sighed, sipping at the sweet drink.

"I'm going home and Lily and Mary are coming with me." she replied. "You're more than welcome to come over for Christmas lunch."

Harley raised an eyebrow. "And your folks would be okay with that?"

"Please. My eldest brother Toby is getting married during summer and my mother is going all clucky over it. Trust me, she'll be fine." Belle smiled, raising the cup to her lips again..Harley nodded and took her hand before they disappeared with a CRACK, reappearing in Diagon Alley, which was packed with people. Belle sipped on her chocolate while they wandered through the streets and Harley told her a joke that made her snort and cover her mouth in order to keep her drink from spitting from her lips.

"I'm just going to run inside and use the facilities." he said, pointing into the Leaky Cauldron. "I'll be right back." She nodded.

"Okay, I'll be here." she replied as he went inside.

"Grey?"

Belle frowned and turned around. The infamous marauders were there, wrapped in their school cloaks and looking astonished.

"Hullo." she said dully, "What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be outside school!"

"Christmas shopping." James replied with raised eyebrows. "What are you doing here, _outside of school_?"

Belle blushed. "I'm on a date." she murmured and Sirius rubbed his hands together gleefully, a glint in his eyes that Belle didn't like.

"So we get to meet this guy finally?"

"Hey Belle!"

She knew Harley was behind her and smiled when he came to her side, pressing a firm, sweet kiss on her lips. She let out a small sound of surprise and blinked, her eyes wide and shocked when he pulled away.

"Wow." she mumbled with a small laugh. "Uh, Harley, these are some boys from school. Boys, this is my boyfriend Harley."

"Nice to meet you." Sirius smirked and the others murmured greetings.

"You must be Sirius Black." Harley said with a smile, his hand resting on Belle's hip possessively. Sirius shifted his stance.

"You talking about me Grey?" he asked. "Hope they're only good things."

"Don't get your hopes up, Black." she laughed. Remus hadn't said anything the whole time and was staring off into space.

"So, is it true you're a ballet dancer?" James wondered. Harley grinned.

"Yeah. I mean, my other friends were pretty upset about it, but I told them something that shut them up." he grinned.

"And what was that?" James asked.

"That I wasn't an idiot. I do a sport where hot girls are wrapping their arms and legs around me." Harley laughed. Sirius, James and Peter burst out in laughter while Remus remained stony faced. Belle nudged him in the ribs and glared.

"Sorry love." he murmured, kissing her cheek.

"I like you!" Sirius grinned after he had finished laughing and Belle rolled her eyes.

"We should go." Belle muttered. "I'll see you lot at school."

"Bye Grey." James and Sirius chorused, Peter following a little late.

"Goodbye Belle." Remus said stiffly and Belle froze a moment, staring at him with an odd expression on her face, before swallowing and walking off, hand in hand with Harley.

**OoOoO**

Remus watched them go, his teeth clenched and his fists balled tightly. He wanted to punch that good looking idiot in the face when he kissed Belle like that. The same feeling of jealousy had bubbled up inside of him, but with a vengeance that startled him. He had wanted to take Belle into his own arms, hide her away from that prat and kiss her until his lips bled.

"You have it bad, mate." James said sympathetically.

"I just don't get it." Remus mumbled low enough so that Sirius and Peter wouldn't hear. "Six months ago, I didn't feel anything for her, I mean, I cared about her as a friend, but now..."

"It's like there's a hole in your heart?" James mumbled and Remus nodded.

"Yeah. She's changed so much and so have I." he said, the snow munching beneath his shoes. "I think I've always liked her, I just never realised how much."

"Sound's like love to me."

"Is this how it feels? When you see Lily with Stefan?" Remus asked sadly and James nodded, heaving a great sigh.

"What are we going to do, Moony?" James chuckled. "Two sorry love-sick fools chasing after girls who are already taken and have no interest in us romantically."

Remus took a while to respond and when he did, all he said was, "We'll just have to wait and hope for the best."


	8. Chapter 8

**A.N—So, what's up? Everyone enjoying it? Short chapter sorry. Suffering MAJOR writers block, so I'm sorry if this is a pile of crap. :P Review for my birthday!**

**Disclaimer—You're all mental.**

**OoOoO**

Chapter Eight  
Floors

The room was hot and Belle felt sweat gathering on her brow. She was used to working hard and used to the feeling of hot blood greasing up her muscles, but right now, all she felt was electric with adrenalin.

"You alright?" she asked him. The windows were fogged up from the cold outside and Remus was leaning against the dusty desk panting.

"Fine." he said, "Let's go again."

Belle sighed and stepped forwards. Remus was trying to trip her over and slam her onto the ground in a self defence move but so far he couldn't get the hang of it and it was causing her more pain than if he actually did the throw quickly.

"No, you have to grab my arm like this." she said, sounding impatient and annoyed. She made him grip her forearm harder and then swallowed a little. It was warm in the room. Too warm.

He tried the move, but all he did was knee her in the shin. She hobbled around for a bit and he apologised profusely as she did her best to control her temper.

"Okay, let's do this again, but this time, please don't be a gentleman and just slam me into the bloody mat!" she said in a rush before letting out a sharp breath. "Okay?"

Remus looked at her with wide eyes and he shook his head, his blonde hair flopping as he took the stance. Their eyes locked and Belle's breathing picked up a little. Remus grabbed her arm and twisted, knocking her off balance and sending her backwards, her back hitting the mats and he landed on top of her, pinning her flat and holding her arms up above her head. There was no space between them and Belle could smell his sweat and aftershave. It was an intoxicating scent and it made her head spin. Their eyes were still locked and Belle panicked when his face crept closer to her own.

Belle cleared her throat. "Better." she murmured. "Much better."

Remus continued to stare at her but then shook his head, rolling off her and getting to his feet. Belle scrambled up as well, brushing herself off.

"So, what are your plans for Christmas?"

"I'm going home." she replied. "See my brothers and my parents before..."

"Before what?" Remus asked. Belle bit her lip.

"My dad's really sick, and the doctor's don't think he'll live for much longer." she said, slinging her bag over her shoulder and brushing a stray curl out of her face. Remus had gone pale and looked ready to cry.

"That's...it...I'm so sorry, Belle."

She shrugged. "He isn't dead yet, so there's no point in mourning him now."

Remus nodded. "Well, I'll—" he cleared his throat. "I guess I'll see you in January."

"Yeah, I'll see you then." she agreed, heading for the door. She stopped, however, and turned back around, a curious expression on her face. "Remus?"

"Yeah?" he asked quickly and without hesitation.

"Are you alright?"

"What do you mean?"

"You've been acting a little strange lately and I guess I'm just a little worried." she replied and Remus felt his heart skip a beat. She was worried, so that meant she cared! "I mean, you're my friend, so if there's something you want to talk about, I'm here."

"Oh," he blinked, disappointed. "Yeah, of course. I'm fine."

She smiled gently. "Alright then." she said, exiting the room and leaving the scent of her perfume behind her in the sweltering room.

He could have hit himself. He let her go when she had been so close.

"Dammit!" he cursed, kicking over a chair.

**OoOoO**

Belle could hear raised voices before she even set foot in the Library and she frowned, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear, the same one that continuously fell into her eyes. She pushed the door open and would have gotten run over by Lily and Stefan if she hadn't pressed herself up against the door to the library. The couple were both red faced and angry, and who were storming off in different directions, grumbling.

Mary came jogging out after them, sighing helplessly and slapping her palms against her thighs in defeat. Belle turned to her with a bewildered expression.

"They've had a fight."

"Another one?" Belle asked. Despite the fact that Lily and Stefan were great friends, they weren't exactly a very harmonious couple and this fight was their third only after four months of dating.

"Yep." Mary agreed, running a hand through her blonde hair. "I don't know what to do."

"What was it about this time?"

"Stefan was mad because Lily blew off a date to study for our Charms test tomorrow." she replied and Belle cringed. "What do we do, Tink?"

"First, don't call me that." Belle said and Mary grinned. "Second, we just need to give them some alone time. They'll work it out themselves."

Mary nodded, walking back to the Common room with Belle. "So, how are things with you and Harley going?" Mary asked after a long while.

"Great." Belle replied. "He's a bit cheeky sometimes, but otherwise he's really nice."

"Really?" Mary asked and there was something in the tone of her voice and the expression on her face that concerned Belle.

"What is it, Mary?" she asked, grasping her friend by the elbow and halting her, spinning her around.

"It's just..." Mary paused. "A guy that sounds so perfect has to be hiding something. Either that, or he's just using you."

"Why would he use me?" Belle asked with a raised eyebrow, crossing her arms.

"Do you own a mirror? You're totally hot, and any guy would kill to have a girl with legs like yours. If I was a guy, I'd say that you were totally shagable."

Belle snorted with laughter, putting an arm around the shorter girl. "You're awesome, you know that, Mary?"

Mary tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Oh, I know, darling."

Together, they laughed, crossing through the common room and going up to the dorm. "Seriously, though, Belle, be careful. You never know who's working with Voldemort."

Belle opened her mouth in outrage but before she could say anything, Mary cut across her.

"I'm not saying he is. I'm just saying be cautious. I know that, as Gryffindor's, we're reckless, but if there was ever a time to exercise caution, it would be now."

"Yes ma'am." Belle sighed and Mary giggled.


	9. Chapter 9

**A.N—I've only just realised something. In my first fanfic, I named the main character ****S****ophia, and one of my best friends name is ****S****arina. Then, in my second fanfic, the main character was Lexi, and my other best friend's name is Alex, but we call her ****Lexxi****. In my third fanfic two of the main characters names were ****M****aya and ****D****amon, and they pretend to be brother and sister. My brother's name (and he's my best friend in the whole entire world!) is ****D****ylan and my name is ****M****adelaine. What makes it even freakier is that I did this unintentionally! :D Unfortunately I don't have a friend whose name starts with a B. Hmm...**

**Disclaimer—I own a pair of feather earrings, not Harry Potter.**

**OoOoO**

Chapter Nine  
Velvet.

It was finally Christmas and Belle was excited to go home. She couldn't wait to see her brothers and her parents. The Grey family lived in a rather large suburban house with a big front garden and a huge old tree with a tyre swing hanging from it.

Belle emerged from the fire in a swirl of robes and green fire, coughing and patting down her clothes to beat the ash from them. Her mother rushed in from the kitchen wearing an apron and had her blonde hair tied up in a tight bun on top of her head, her green eyes bright. She embraced her daughter tightly.

"Oh, my beautiful Belle. You're home! I'm so happy to see you!" she smiled. Belle couldn't help but feel happy. There was something about her mother's smile that made a person melt and feel loved and warm.

"It's good to see you too mum." she replied. "Where are the boys?"

Her mother pointed to the left. "Living room."

Belle grinned and made her way into the room, the familiar black grand piano next to the fire, the tree with glittering baubles and twinkling lights and the photos that lined the walls made her feel welcome. Her brothers were crowded around a small television set, watching a game of soccer intensely. Her dad was really knowledgeable about Muggles so they almost lived in two different worlds despite being purebloods. Mr Grey was sitting in a comfy armchair with a blanket over his lap and a cup of tea next to him. His black hair was greying quickly and he seemed thinner than when Belle had last seen him.

"Belle!" one of her brothers cried before launching himself at her. It was Toby, the tallest and eldest of the Grey brothers at twenty two. His eyes were a strange golden colour, like honey, and his black hair was long and messy. He drew back and the twins attacked Belle next, squeezing what air she had out of her lungs. They were identical with the same long black hair that was gelled to stick up in stylish spikes and their matching outfit of jeans and black jumpers, looking mature for nineteen. The only real difference between them was their eyes. Jeremy's eyes were a pale blue and Kohl's were as blue as the ocean, although, they both had the same mischievous glint in them.

They backed away after a moment and the last Grey brother walked up to Belle, more slowly and calmly before embracing her tightly. It was Adrian. He was eighteen years old but seemed far older with his steel grey eyes that looked wise and bright, like they had seen too much of life. He was shorter than his brothers, but still towered over his sister, and his black hair flopped all over the place. The Grey family often got asked about the story behind their different coloured eyes and it was all due to a failed potion that Mrs Grey had tried to create when she was younger. Her eyes had turned green and would change with her mood and apparently her children had been destined to be born with odd coloured eyes.

"It's so nice to see you all." Belle smiled at each of them before moving around the room to crouch next to her father.

"Hey dad." she smiled, kissing his cheek. "How are you feeling?"

Her dad returned her smile weakly. "Like I could take on twelve Death Eaters by myself."

"You will do no such thing." Mrs Grey said sternly from the doorway. The boys all chuckled at their mother as she turned towards Belle. "We're going to be having some additional guests for Christmas lunch tomorrow, sweetheart, so I'll need your help."

"Okay." Belle said, following her mother into the kitchen, which was a complete mess.

"So, how is your ballet training going?" Mrs Grey asked. "Are you working hard?"

"Yeah." she replied, filling up the sink and beginning to do the dishes. "The director Mr Fitz is really nice. He dotes on me and my partner, Harley."

"Is this the boy that you wrote to me about?" her mother asked with a sly smile and Belle rolled her eyes.

"Yes."

"And is he coming over tomorrow too?"

"I told him that would be alright." Her mother made a tutting noise but said nothing else. "How is the wedding planning going?"

"Phoebe is so nice. I love that girl." her mother gushed happily. "She wants you to be a bridesmaid you know."

"Really?"

"Yes. She simply adores you. Toby boasts about you to her. Apparently all your brothers can talk about is you." her mother said. "They're all so proud of you, darling.

Belle smiled. Her brothers were annoying and immature at times, but she loved them very much and they loved her too. They had always been there for her when she needed them and she had even given them some advice when it came to girls from time to time.

"So, who is coming to lunch tomorrow?" Belle asked.

"Just an old friend of mine."

"Who?"

Her mother hesitated. "She lives down the road."

Belle's face drained of colour. "Oh, no. Mum you _didn't_!"

"Harold and Shelbie Potter are old friends of mine!" her mother said and Belle groaned miserably. "Besides, you're in the same year as their son, James, right?"

"Yes." she sighed, "but that doesn't mean we've ever really spoken."

"Well, I've heard that he's a very handsome young boy, and—"

"Mum, you know that I've got a boyfriend and that he fancies Lily, right?" Belle said and her mother's eyes grew wide.

"Lily? Oh! Is she the James that she's always going on about?"

"Yep."

"Right, I understand now."

Belle rolled her eyes.

**OoOoO**

Something heavy landed on Belle the next morning, startling her awake. She let out a little scream and then groaned when the person got off of her and started jumping on her bed. It was the twins and they were beaming with excitement, still in their pyjama's.

"Get up, get up, get up, GET UP!" they shouted together. "It's Christmas, Belle!"

"How old are you two?" she grumbled, throwing the covers off and grabbing a jumper as she ran down the stairs, her brothers on her heels. The Christmas tree was gleaming and sparkling in the light of the early morning and it was snowing outside. Her father was sitting in his armchair, smiling as Toby and Adrian bickered over something. Her mother was carrying a tray of hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows, smiling around at them and wrapped in a blue dressing gown.

"Let's open presents." Jeremy said and Belle laughed, drinking her hot chocolate and wiping a hand across her mouth to get rid of the cream that stuck to her upper lip. She got a brand new dance bag from Adrian, a huge basket of Honeydukes chocolates and sweets from the twins, Toby had bought her a new set of eagle feather quills and her parents had gotten her a new jet black owl which she named Achilles.

"Thanks so much!" she said, gushing over her new pet. Achilles was perched on her shoulder, nibbling on her ear affectionately.

"I have one more present for you, my darling girl." her father said, his voice hoarse and throaty. He handed her a big white box with a red ribbon wrapped around it, his hands shaking with the effort. Belle took it and unwrapped it carefully; a little bit sad she had to ruin the bow. She lifted off the lid and drew aside the tissue paper, her eyes filling with tears. She drew out the fabric and gasped. What she had thought was a dress was in fact a cloak in a deep purple colour with a hood and silver strings. It was decorated with velvet swirls in the colour of black, but the material shimmered and danced with purple. It was long enough to touch the ground but not enough so that it would trail behind her. It was the perfect colour to bring out her eyes and she hugged the warm cloak close to her as she kissed her father on the cheek.

"It's beautiful. You shouldn't have." she said, smiling.

"What is the world coming to when a father can't spoil his daughter?" her father said before going into a coughing fit, only just managing to gulp down his potion. He fell asleep instantly and her mother heaved a deep sigh, worry and sorrow rolling off her in tidal waves.

Belle raced upstairs and showered quickly, cleaning her room and dressing in a pair of jeans, a blue jumper and wearing the bracelet that Lily had given her. She then went into the kitchen to help her mother prepare for lunch. They were having a roast lamb with fried potatoes, green salad and steamed vegetables. For desert, there would be the choice of sticky date pudding or sweet cherry pie.

Time passed quickly and soon it was noon. Belle heaved a sigh and settled in the living room, a book in her lap as her brothers played Exploding Snap. The doorbell rang and she sat up straight, her back straight as a rod.

"Oh, you must be Harley!" she heard her mother squeal and Belle shook her head, smiling. She got up off the couch and turned into the hallway, smiling at her boyfriend over her mother's shoulder. He was handing Mrs Grey a bouquet of flowers, looking as handsome as ever.

"For you." he said, smiling disarmingly at her mother, and Belle clapped a hand over her mouth to stop a laugh from escaping. Her mother blushed and giggled, turning away and racing back into the kitchen, resembling a very embarrassed schoolgirl.

Belle walked forward, putting her arms around Harley's neck. "Hi."

He smiled back. "Hi." he leaned forward and kissed her, drawing back quickly. "Are you sure this is okay?"

Belle snorted. "Please. My mum loves you already and my brothers will too."

"How's your dad?"

Belle's face fell. "He's worse."

Harley frowned and hugged her. "I'm so sorry."

She opened her mouth to say something but was cut off when the doorbell rang again. "Go into the living room." she suggested. "Introduce yourself to my family. I'll get this."

He pecked her on the lips lightly. "Okay then."

Belle watched him go before she opened the door, groaning instantly. The Potter family were on the threshold, along with Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. Belle guessed that they had been staying for Christmas at the Potter estate.

"Belle! Oh you've grown up so much!" Mrs Potter gushed, embracing the girl, who frankly looked awkward. Belle stepped back, looking down.

"Come on in." she mumbled, stepping aside and holding the door open. Their five new guests entered the house, Mr and Mrs Potter smiling and chattering excitedly. The teenagers were looking at Belle, but she simply shut the door and swept past them without a word, going into the living room, where she sat next to the fire, cuddling up to her boyfriend, Harley, who was grinning at the twins.

"These are your brothers, eh, Grey?" Sirius smirked and Toby glared.

"So, where's Phoebe, Toby? I thought that she would be here." Belle said, ignoring Sirius.

"She's staying with her parents in Paris." he replied, "But she's coming down for New Year's."

"Lunch is ready!" Mrs Grey called, "Tink, come help me please?"

Belle rolled her eyes and got to her feet, going into the kitchen. The next ten minutes was chaos as everyone tried to find a place around the table and to collect their food. Belle excused herself to get a glass from the cupboard, standing on her toes to do so and coming to sit back down, opposite from Harley. She nudged his foot with her own and he raised an eyebrow at her, his fork halfway to his mouth.

He glanced down the table and then lightly tapped her foot with this heel. Back and forth they went under the table, kicking and warring against each other. Both were dancers and had strong feet, so when they jabbed and poked, it hurt.

"Ouch!" Remus cried suddenly and everyone turned to look at him.

"What?" James asked. Remus glanced at Belle who blushed.

"Bit my tongue. Sorry."

Belle sighed in relief and he met her eye. She felt her heart pick up a little bit and then tore her gaze away, focussing on her plate instead, trying to ignore the fire in her veins and the erratic thrum of her breathing that was too loud in her ears.


	10. Chapter 10

**A.N—REVIEW.**

**Disclaimer—I own nothing.**

**OoOoO**

Chapter Ten  
Snowflakes

Belle handed Remus another plate, which he wiped and put away neatly. "You really don't have to help, you know."

"I want to. Besides, I'd feel bad if I didn't. Your family fed me, the least I can do is help with cleaning up." he replied, smiling slightly. She raised her eyebrows but said nothing, bending down to put a stack of cups into the cupboard. Remus snuck a cheeky glance at her arse, appreciating the view and looking away quickly when she straightened up.

The light trill of the piano made Belle look around, astonishment on her face. Remus frowned.

"What?"

She didn't answer, just throwing the tea towel down and walking from the room and towards the sound of the music. Her brother Adrian was at the instrument, playing with an expertise that Belle could only dream of. She hadn't heard him play since before her father had gotten sick and she had missed it.

"A family of talent, I see." Harley whispered, coming up behind her and putting his arms around her waist, kissing her neck lightly before sighing.

"Shut up." she muttered and he laughed. Adrian changed tunes to something faster and jazzier, and Mr Potter pulled his wife closer, whisking her around the room. James rolled his eyes, smiling all the same. Harley grabbed Belle's hand and spun her about before dipping her back, making her laugh.

"Okay, break it up you two love birds." Toby called, only half joking. Belle straightened up and grinned, pecking Harley on the cheek before returning to the kitchen to finish her chores, bringing her boyfriend and the Marauders with her, much to her dismay.

"So, my parents are having a New Year's Eve party. A Masquerade Ball." James started. "You wanna come?"

Belle raised an eyebrow at him. "What's the catch?"

He smirked. "No catch."

She continued to stare at him with a hard expression and Harley chuckled.

"Okay, there is a catch." James allowed and Harley coughed to cover up his laugh. "You can come if—"

"If I bring Lily?" Belle asked dryly. Sirius barked out a laugh and Remus rolled his eyes, smiling fondly.

"Pretty much." James stated.

"Does the invitation extend to my family?"

"Yep." James replied. "And you can even bring your boyfriend here."

"His name is Harley." she said, leaning up to put a wineglass away. James shrugged.

"Whatever." he said dismissively and Harley crossed his arms. "Do we have a deal?"

Belle pursed her lips and glanced at Harley who winked at her. She blushed lightly and then took James's offered hand, shaking it once before letting it drop.

Lily was going to kill her.

**OoOoO**

"So, how much do you want to bet that Grey actually comes through?" Sirius asked, gazing about the room from behind his gold coloured mask.

The ballroom was vast with white and red hangings draped from the ceiling, connected to the crystal chandelier that hung over the dance floor. Round tables were clustered at the edges of the dance floor, and a bar was next to the double doors that led outside to the massive garden that seemed to stretch for miles.

Next to him, James shifted uncomfortably in his tux and blue mask. A group of girls was giggling in the corner, pointing at the four Marauders. Remus and Peter were there as well, both looking unhappy and bored.

"My money's on Belle." Remus said with a sigh. "She's a Gryffindor. She makes a promise, she keeps it."

"You've got it real bad, mate." Sirius chuckled, downing his glass of Firewhiskey. Remus rolled his golden eyes from behind the black mask he wore, his eyes still scanning the crowd for even a glimpse of Belle.

"There." James breathed, his voice barely audible. Remus whipped around and his jaw dropped. Lily and Belle stood side by side, looking equally as beautiful. Lily looked stunning in a mint-green sleeveless dress that had a skirt that fell to her knees. Remus could see from where he stood that she hadn't worn a mask, but had instead painted gold, green and light orange leaves around her eyes, little silver jewels sparking under the lights.

Belle, however, was what drew Remus's attention and made him suck in a breath. She looked radiant in a white halterneck dress that had a low neckline. It clung to her chest and ribcage before flaring out at her waist. Her mask was also white, and it was a series of white vines. It covered half of the right side of her face, but her left side was let bare except for the eye, which had a thin rim of the white mask around it. Her hair was curled and half pinned up, looking elegant and shiny.

She said something to Lily before making her way over to them, tucking a stubborn strand of hair behind her ear. She came to a halt in front of them, sighing.

"I kept up my end of the bargain." she said dully. "And Lily will probably never speak to me again for it."

"Erm, thanks?" James said awkwardly and Belle's lip twitched, but she didn't smile.

"You all look nice." she said. "What are you supposed to be?"

"We just came as ourselves." Remus replied.

"What are you?" Sirius asked curiously.

"A snowflake." Belle replied. "Lily's a dryad."

"A what?" Sirius asked.

"A tree spirit." Remus told him and Sirius nodded in understanding. "You look wonderful, by the way."

Belle blinked, surprised by the compliment. "Thank you." she mumbled.

"So, where is lover boy?" James winked and Belle looked mad.

"He stood me up."

Remus blanched. "He what?"

"Mmm." she hummed, crossing her arms. James and Sirius wandered off to flirt with girls, Peter went to attack the refreshments and Remus put his hands in his pockets.

"Would asking you to dance be acceptable as gentlemanly behaviour?" Remus asked her suddenly and in her surprise, she blurted out a quick yes. He grinned and took her hand, leading her onto the dance floor.

"I didn't know you could dance." she said as he led her around the floor.

"My grandmother was a Muggle and she owned a small club in Spain where people would dance until the sun rose. She taught me every trick in the book." he beamed and she looked at the band as they began a different song. A lot of couples pooled onto the floor as the faster, slightly more energetic song came on.

"Every trick?" she smirked slyly and Remus raised an eyebrow at her.

"Is that a challenge?" he asked, realising that he was shamelessly flirting with her.

"Are you game?" she laughed.

Remus smirked and pulled her closer, so they were chest to chest and moving in time to the music, a spicy little tango that had them both laughing and sweating in no time. The old spark seemed to ignite between them each time they turned or touched and it was growing steadily more and more electric with each passing moment. When he finally dipped her low, so far her hair brushed the floor, the whole assembly had gathered and were watching with rapt attention. They applauded thunderously and Belle blushed magnificently.

"You were amazing." he whispered, his breathing heavy. She nodded.

"Uh, you too." she muttered before slipping her hand out of his and disappearing into the crowd. Remus muttered a curse under his breath. Next time she wouldn't get away so easily.

A loud bang made Remus spin around, his wand drawn and his gaze darting in every direction. Something black was flying through the air above them, jets of red light spinning in every direction. More and more of the figures in black were appearing now, and somewhere a woman began screaming.

Death Eaters.

"Belle." he muttered. The crowd began to disperse and people were Apparating everywhere. Women were screaming and children were crying. Teenagers were huddled together next to the fireplace and were shoving each other through, fear in their eyes. He saw James and Sirius grab Lily, ushering her out and heard the a faint CRACK of disapparation. Thank Merlin Sirius had passed his test.

He saw her then, firing spells at the Death Eaters, her dress torn and the corner of her mouth bleeding. He pushed through the crowd, not caring about his own safety. He just had to get to her, he had to make sure she was alright.

"_Stupefy!_" He shouted, shoving people aside and running as fast as his legs would carry him. Belle dodged to the side just as a curse shot past her. Remus grabbed her wrist and they disappeared with a CRACK. Both of them couldn't breathe for a moment, before they landed with a thud in the middle of a park in London. Belle looked mad.

"How dare you!" she cried, her purple eyes blazing from behind her white mask.

"I think a thank you is in order, actually." Remus replied, catching his breath. "I just saved your life."

"I can take care of myself." she replied, stalking past him and walking along the pathways, mumbling things under her breath. He groaned and shook his head. He should at least make sure she made it home safely. She stopped suddenly and flung out her wand arm. There was a bang like a gunshot and a triple decker purple bus appeared in front of them.

"Hello there, Belle." the conductor smiled. "You look nice tonight."

"Thanks Eddie." she grinned. He blushed and nodded at Remus curtly before tapping on the glass.

"Take her away, Ernie." he said as Belle grasped the railing in front of her tightly. She noticed that Remus wasn't holding on and was standing next to her, his hands in his pockets. She smirked and said nothing.

The bus launched forwards and Remus flew backwards into the back of the bus, his head cracking against the glass painfully and he slid down the wall comically. She giggled, biting her lip when he got up and glared, stumbling over to her again.

"You could've warned me." he grumbled as he rubbed the back of his head and she shrugged.

"Oopsie daisy." she chimed happily, giggling again. He muttered some words under his breath that made her raise her eyebrows before the bus stopped again, and they got off, hurrying up the street to her house. She pulled off her mask and threw her shoes off, tearing into the living room. James, Sirius and Lily were there too, all of them holding glasses of pumpkin juice, not talking to each other. Her brothers were unharmed but were pale and solemn looking. Her mother was sitting in my father's old arm chair, rocking back and forth as she cried into a handkerchief.

"No." Belle whispered, shaking her head. "No, not...not dad." she mumbled and Toby nodded, swallowing thickly. The Adrian began to cry and went over to Mrs Grey and hugged her, both of them sharing their grief.

Lily had jumped off the counter and had slowly approached Belle, unsure of what to do. Belle had her back facing them and her shoulders were shaking. She suddenly turned around and threw her arms around the person closest to her and cried onto their shoulder. That person happened to be Remus and he embraced her tightly, running a hand through her hair and rocking her from side to side comfortingly, mourning not because of her father's death, but mourning the fact that the first time he could hold her this close, she was grieving.


	11. Chapter 11

**A.N—Poor Belle. :( Short Chapter. **

**Disclaimer—I own a crab-meat and cucumber sushi roll, not Harry Potter. **

**OoOoO**

Chapter Eleven.  
Heat

Belle's eyes were still red when she arrived at the platform that would take her back to school. Her father's funeral had been two days previously and she had spent a lot of that time crying. She was still slightly embarrassed about crying on Remus's shoulder only a few minutes after she had danced with him and flirted with him. She was supposed to be keeping her distance from him and yet she continuously went back to him, talked to him and involved him in her life. She knew that she should stay away, that he would only hurt her again.

Besides, she had Harley now. Why should she be thinking about Remus all the time?

"You're not still mad at me about skipping out on the New Year's Ball thing, are you?" Harley asked her, drawing her attention from her morbid thoughts. "Because I said I was sorry."

"I know." she mumbled. "It's just...my dad..."

"Yeah, I get it." he said softly, playing with her hair. He leaned down and kissed her then, and she sighed into the kiss. It was a nice feeling, kissing Harley, but she never felt anything. It wasn't dull, but it wouldn't get her blood pumping or let her see fireworks.

She pulled back and smiled weakly at him. "I'll see you at Easter, okay?"

He winked. He would see her the next day at rehearsal, but that didn't mean Belle wanted anyone else to know that. Mr Fitz was cracking down on all the students and they would soon be announcing what they would be doing for the student workshop. Belle hoped she got a good part.

"See you soon." he promised, waving to her as she got on the train and left. She wandered along the compartments and found Mary, who pounced on her immediately.

"Oh, Belle! It is so good to see you! How was your Christmas? How are your brothers? Is your mum doing okay? Are you doing okay? Have you seen Lily? I can't find her anywhere! Do you—"

"Whoa! Easy there!" Belle said, chuckling despite herself as Mary stepped back "Uh, let's see. It's good to see you too, my Christmas was great, my brothers are alright, my mum is heartbroken, I've been better and no I haven't seen Lily."

Mary looked impressed. "You've improved."

Belle gave a curtsey and Mary giggled before launching into her Christmas story and how she met a totally gorgeous guy.

"Seriously, he's a real fittie, but he doesn't go here." Mary sighed. "I'm going to see him again soon. He promised to write to me."

"What's his name?" Belle asked.

"Cooper." Mary said, sounding dreamy. Belle laughed.

"It's good to see you're feeling more cheerful." Remus said, opening the compartment door next to them. Belle tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and refused to make eye contact.

"Thanks. I'm sorry about...well...you know."

Remus grinned. "Don't worry about it."

"You haven't seen Lily have you?" Mary asked. Remus frowned.

"Um, no, not since the platform." He looked behind him and said to his friends. "Any of you sods seen Lily?"

Mary and Belle giggled as Sirius and James got up. "That way!" they said, pointing in different directions and Belle raised an eyebrow. Sirius corrected himself. "I mean that way!"

"Of course you do." Remus muttered, rolling his eyes. The girls followed the three young men down the train, listening as Sirius cracked jokes that were slightly rude, but still hilarious.

"Okay, so there's this man who goes to church every Sunday and he takes it all very seriously, but he always ends up sitting next to this old lady who falls asleep during the service. So after the mass he goes up to the priest and says, 'Father, the woman next to me always falls asleep during the mass. What can I do to stop this?' and so the priest says, 'Every time she falls asleep, poke her.'" Sirius said.

"Oh, god, here we go." Remus muttered.

"So the next Sunday the man goes to church and of course he sits next to the old woman, who falls asleep. The priest asked those gathered, 'Who created the world in seven days?' The man then poked the woman and she was so shocked she yelled out, 'God!' and the priest said, 'That's correct.' The woman then fell asleep again." Sirius continued. "The priest then asked, 'Who was sacrificed on the cross for our sins?' and the man poked the woman again and she was so shocked she yelled out 'Jesus Christ!' the priest said, 'That's right.' the woman then fell asleep again. The priest then pulled out his bible and asked, 'What did Eve say to Adam after the birth of their ninety-ninth child?'"

"Here it comes..." Remus said.

"The man poked the woman a third time and the old woman stands up and yells, 'If you poke that thing into me one more time I'm going to cut it off!'" Sirius cried and the girls and James burst out laughing. Remus grinned but smiled anyway.

Sirius winked. "This is it." he said, sliding the compartment over and letting his jaw drop to the ground. Lily and Stefan were stretched out across one of the seats, snogging furiously. They didn't even pay any heed to their obviously unwelcome visitors.

Sirius slid the door closed with a soft snap and looked at James. "You okay mate?"

James looked pale, his hazel eyes wide behind his glasses and he looked upset. Belle bit her lip as she watched him walk away in a daze, not paying any attention to them.

"If it helps," Belle whispered, "She doesn't hate him."

"She doesn't?" Sirius asked, sounding doubtful.

"She hates that he acts like a prat. He's grown up a bit though, and I don't see how..." Mary left the sentence hanging.

"She's in a relationship now, Mary." Belle said, "And when someone's in a relationship, that usually means they're happy with the one they're with. I'm not saying the Lily doesn't like James, I'm just saying she's not planning on leaving Stefan for him any time soon."

Remus sniffed at her words, knowing that not only was she talking about this situation, but the same situation between himself and Belle.


	12. Chapter 12

**A.N—I'm sitting at my dance studio, waiting for my class to start, so I thought, why not?**

**Disclaimer—I own Harry Potter. YEAH RIGHT NOT.**

**OoOoO**

Chapter Twelve  
Cinderella

Belle sighed as she beat her pointe shoes against the ground, breaking in her brand new pair before cutting off the end of the block and then burning the edges so that it would be easier to grip the floor. She then sewed her ribbons on and put them on, stretching and warming up in them.

She was nervous about the casting that Mr Fitz had arranged. She wanted a good part and would be willing to work for it. She was sure that Harley would get the lead, he was easily the best dancer in the academy. Even the older students asked for his help sometimes or even for his advice.

She jumped when arms encircled her waist from behind and someone pressed a kiss to her neck. "Jumpy, today." Harley murmured in her ear. "Are you nervous?"

"I'm terrified." she whispered truthfully.

"You'll be fine, babe." he chuckled, kissing her neck. "Don't worry."

The door opened and Mr Fitz came into the room, a clipboard in his hand and looking excited. The room fell silent instantly, anticipation thick in the air.

"Well, the time has come to announce the roles for our student workshop." Mr Fitz said clearly and Belle gripped Harley's hand tighter. "This year we will be performing two different ballets, one choreographed by myself, the other, by my personal friend Jacqueline George. The Ballet that I will be directing is Cinderella, and Ms George will be directing a small, half an hour piece taken from a ballet called Sylvia."

"Now, the main roles for Cinderella are; Harley le Jon playing the Prince. Katy Holmes playing the evil stepmother. Hannah Briggs and Francine Rodriguez as the ugly stepsisters. Vanessa Maldure as the fairy godmother. Belle Grey as Cinderella herself."

Belle couldn't breathe. Was it true? Could it be true? Was she playing the main role in the ballet? She squealed and threw her arms around Harley, who laughed.

"I can't believe it!" she cried. Mr Fitz wandered over to them both and spoke in a low voice, clearly not wanting to be heard.

"I like the way you two work together. Keep it up because Ursula Poppins will be at the workshop."

"Who's that?" Belle asked. Across the room she heard a few of the girls giggling at her ignorance.

"She's planning on doing a production of Paquita sometime next year and she needs fresh talent to put on the stage." Mr Fitz's expression turned sly. "And I may have mentioned that my two star pupils would be interested in an opportunity like that."

Harley beamed and Belle giggled. "Thanks Mr Fitz."

"Don't mention it." he said as he walked away.

Belle turned to Harley. "So, do you want to do something this weekend?"

Harley grimaced. "Sorry, I can't. I already have plans. I'm really sorry."

"Nah, it's okay." she replied. "It's only a party, so I don't blame you."

"Who's party?"

"Lily's seventeenth. Mary and I are throwing her a bash to celebrate. We're even getting Sirius and James to smuggle in some liquor from the Three Broomsticks."

"Not Lupin?" he asked dryly.

Belle frowned. "Don't be jealous. He's not a threat. Trust me."

"I do trust you. It's him I don't trust." he growled. "I saw the way he was looking at you at Christmas."

"Yeah, he's my friend."

"He obviously sees you as more than a friend." Harley scoffed and Belle rolled her eyes.

"You're being ridiculous." she said. "I know for a fact he doesn't fancy me."

"And how is that?"

"I asked him out last year and he said no." Belle said, her jaw tight. "He basically told me I wasn't what he was looking for."

Harley looked simply delighted. "Oh. Okay then."

**OoOoO**

Belle cheered as Lily threw back another shot, holding up the glass for everyone to see. The music was pumping loudly and a few seventh years were dancing on the tables, laughing. Mary was sitting nearby in a chair, chatting to a random Hufflepuff, a bottle of beer in her hand.

"My god, McDonald, slutty much?"

Belle looked around, a frown on her face. Three girls crowded around Mary, glaring at her with scorn and disdain on their faces. The first was Jodie Rowe, who had bleached blonde hair, brown eyes and she would have been pretty if she hadn't been tottering around in six inch heels and had at least a clear inch of foundation on her face that turned her skin orange. Next to her was Hannah Radalj , who wore her black hair short with the ends tip dyed in neon green. Her entire left ear was pierced with little silver hoops. She wore thick eye makeup and looked intimidating as she wrinkled her nose down at Mary. Lastly was Cassie Jackson, her greasy brown hair that was streaked with pink, matching the shade of lipstick she had smeared across her lips. She was a little too chubby to be healthy, and had the first four buttons of her blouse open, looking proud of herself.

"What do you want, Jodie?" Mary asked, her voice low and a little afraid.

"I want to know why you take it upon yourself to throw yourself at every male that crosses your path. You'll even date a Hufflepuff." Jodie sneered and Belle pushed her way across the room to stand at Mary's side.

"Go away, Jodie, and take your little lapdogs with you." Lily snarled, glaring and her hand twitching.

"Stay out of this, Evans." Hannah snapped.

"Why don't you tell them, Mary, why you're so desperate for a shag?" Jodie continued. Mary's lip was wobbling.

"That's enough Jodie." Belle snapped. "If you have nothing nice to say, then get out of our common room."

Mary started sniffling.

"She's right. We don't want slags like you wandering around ruining a birthday." said a voice. The tone belonged to none other than Sirius Black. He glared at the three girls and then sat down on the couch with Mary, putting an arm around her and handing her a butterbeer.

"Hey Sirius." the three girls chorused, batting their eyelashes.

"Sod off." he growled and they turned on their heels, leaving the common room. He turned to Mary and rubbed her shoulder soothingly.

"There now. Don't listen to them. Slags like them just need to drag others down to make themselves feel better. And the fact that they're_ trying_ to drag you down just means you're above them." he said, fishing a handkerchief from his pocket. Belle and Lily watched in astonishment, sharing a glance.

"Come on. Let's go for a walk." Sirius said, helping Mary to her feet and leading her from the common room.

Belle turned to Lily, her mouth agape. "You don't think...?"

"No." Lily said, although she sounded uncertain. "No way."

"Any yet..."

"I know." Lily sighed. Her face softened. "They'd be really cute together."

Belle laughed.


	13. Chapter 13

**A.N—I wanted to do a bit more Remus, so I hope you all like it! Someone suggested the song "I Would" by One Direction suited this fanfic rather well, so listen to it if you want. :)**

**Disclaimer—I own a stuffed unicorn toy, not Harry Potter. **

**OoOoO**

Chapter Thirteen.  
Musing.

Belle sighed, drumming her fingers on the table top. The Three Broomsticks was crowded and filled with couples, the scent of butterbeer, cinnamon and cheap perfume filling the stuffy interior of the pub. Harley sat across from her, leaning back in his chair, looking around with a bored expression.

Something about Harley had changed. He had become more distant, a lot quieter and suddenly a whole lot more busy. It would take him days to answer her letters or make up his mind about dates, and he'd long since stopped doing little romantic things like opening the door for her or buying her flowers. She was getting worried.

She looked in the direction that he was staring and scowled. Jodie Rowe, with her bleached blonde hair and wearing her favourite red stilettos was leaning against the bar, flirting with a group of boys from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw.

"You're such an arse." She said to him, getting up and slinging her cloak around her shoulders and walking out from the pub, stepping into the chilly Spring air.

_How dare he!_ She thought.

"Belle! Bells! Wait up!"

"Why should I?" she snarled over her shoulder.

"C'mon, don't be like this." Harley moaned, his breathing a little laboured from jogging to keep up with her. "What's the matter?"

"What's _the matter?_" She repeated, turning around and balling her hands into fists, angry. "What is up with you lately? You've been pushing me away and ignoring me, and now I catch you staring at the school slag with drool running down your chin. And what's worse is that our pas de deux work is totally falling apart, right when I need you to focus. The end of year workshop is in four months and there are going to be important people there that could potentially make or break my career. What have I said or done to make you act this way, Harley?"

He had gone pale, but he also looked angry himself. "What's the matter? Why, nothing at all, Belle." he growled, stalking past her and into the crowd, disappearing completely. Belle blinked back tears and pulled her cloak tighter around her, walking back up to the castle in silence, her mind in a numb sort of state. She didn't think about anything, but mostly dwelt on the feeling that consumed her and made her want to cry.

"Cupid." she said to the Fat Lady, who swung forwards to reveal the entrance to Gryffindor Tower. She walked past couples snogging on the couches and up to her dorm, pushing the door open and then leaning against it with a sigh. She looked around and alarm coursed through her when she saw Lily sniffling and crying on her bed, hugging her favourite stuffed bunny rabbit to her chest.

"Oh, no Lils, what's happened?" Belle said, whipping her cloak off and rushing over, sitting on the bed with her friend and pushing the strands of semi-wet hair back from Lily's face.

"Stefan and I had a fight." she somehow mumbled with her low, croaky voice.

"Another one?" Belle said sympathetically, pushing her own feelings of hurt away in order to be there for her best friend.

"Yeah." Lily sighed, wiping her cheeks and under her eyes before sniffing. "It was my fault, though."

"How?"

"Well, we were snogging in the broom closet on the second floor, you know, the one next to the entrance to the Hufflepuff Common Room?" Lily said and Belle nodded. "Well, he tried to put his hand up my shirt and I told him no, that was enough, and he kinda got all offended. If I had just let him do it, then none of this would have happened."

Belle stared at her best friend in amazement. She was usually a 'no nonsense' person when it came to people, but since starting a relationship Belle had seen an entirely new side to Lily. The side that was insecure, afraid and unsure. It was a humbling experience that scared Belle out of her wits.

"Lily, listen to me. If a boy—any boy—is going to argue with you after you've said no to something physically romantic, then they do not respect your decisions. Stefan is being an arse at the moment and I don't know why, but I think it'd be best if you two took some time away from each other."

Lily wiped her nose on her jumper sleeve, sighing heavily. "That might be the best idea."

Belle rubbed Lily's arm. "Would you like me to talk to him?" she offered.

Lily looked at Belle with hope in her green eyes. "You don't have to do that."

Belle shook her head, smiling tightly. "No, but I you're my best friend, and you're miserable. This needs to get sorted so that you can be happy again."

Lily hugged Belle tightly, sniffling a little. "You're amazing, Tink."

"Don't call me that!"

**OoOoO**

He watched her scribble out another line of her essay, biting on the end of her quill as she did so. The candlelight by which she wrote was dwindling and her work would soon be plunged into darkness. He noticed how the flickering flames make her honey blonde hair shine and how her violet eyes were intense as they examined her work.

Remus sighed and rubbed his eyes. He had been a fool, a complete idiot to let her get away like that. He had rejected her because he hadn't had feelings for her, but also because he hadn't wanted her to get hurt. Lily had told him that Belle wasn't a prejudiced person, but he had a hard time believing that a pureblooded witch wasn't.

He had never noticed her before, really. She'd always been so shy and reserved, hiding behind a thick book and staying out of arguments. She hadn't been the most attractive person before the summer either, in her thick black glasses and her hair all tangled and messy, her robes far too big for her tiny frame.

Now...Remus scoffed. Now he had a hard time taking his eyes off her.

But she could never be his. He knew that. He was not the sort of man to try and steal another man's girl. That wasn't very noble or even remotely moral. He would just have to wait.

Bur there was something about Harley that...well, seemed off to Remus. Sure, he was nice and considerate, perhaps the perfect boyfriend for Belle and yet...Remus was very suspicious.

Remus wondered what it would be like to kiss her. He would bet anything that her lips were really soft. He put his chin in his hand as he daydreamed. She was sitting in his lap, her arms around him and they were kissing, his hands on her waist and in her hair which smelled like cherry blossoms. Suddenly she shifted and his hand was somehow on her thigh, running up and down her leg and she gripped the back of his shirt and neck tightly. She sighed, pulling back long enough to say, _I love y—_

"Are you feeling alright, Remus? You've been staring at that page for half an hour."

With a sign on his back saying KICK ME, reality ruined his life. He looked round and felt his cheeks grow pink. Belle was looking at him with a curious expression, her quill poised to write.

"Oh, yeah, I'm—I'm fine."

She looked doubtful as she set her quill down. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." he chuckled. She bit her lip.

"So...I have a favour to ask you." she began, coming over and sitting on the table, close to his arm. He swallowed a little. It would be so easy to grab her round the waist and pull her into his lap, where he could lock his arms around her and hold her there forever; his prisoner.

But he didn't do that.

"What's up?" he asked instead, clearing his throat.

"Lily and Stefan have had another fight, and I was wondering if you could have a chat with him." Belle said. "See, he's been acting a bit odd lately and I just..." she hesitated, slipping from the table and brushing her hair back. "You know what? Never mind. Forget I said anything."

She went to walk away and Remus grabbed her by the wrist. Instantly the same spark of electricity ran up his arm, spreading warmth through his body, starting at his heart and going down to the tips of his toes. She met his gaze and blinked. Neither looked away, reluctant to break contact.

"No, it's okay." he said softly, "Go on."

She curled a strand of hair around her finger, but sat down on the table again. "I just thought that because you're his friend and you're a boy it would be easier for him rather than if I were to speak with him. So, will you talk with him?"

Remus nodded, picking up his quill and twirled it around in his fingers, "Of course."

Belle smiled and he melted, capturing that image and storing it in his brain.

"Thanks Remus." she said, looking a little sad while she still smiled. "I owe you one."

_I'll remember you said that, _he thought with a small smirk. "Not a problem." he frowned and studied her face, he'd always had a talent for reading people. "You alright?"

"Harley and I are going through a rough spot as well." she admitted, sounding bitter. Remus felt rage boil up in him.

"What did he do?" he asked, managing to keep his voice controlled.

"I caught him checking Jodie Rowe out, when we were supposed to be on a date." she told him.

Remus sat back in his chair. "You want me to tear him limb from limb? 'Cause I'll do it if you want." he said, only half joking. She laughed.

"Nah. Thanks anyway. We'll sort it out." she said, getting up again and touching his hand briefly. "Thanks for this, Remus. I appreciate it."

It took him a second to remember his own name, let alone how to speak.


	14. Chapter 14

**A.N—Review please. **

**Disclaimer—I don't own Harry Potter. STOP ASKING ME!**

**OoOoO**

Chapter Fourteen.  
Back With a Vengeance.

Remus leaned against the wall, throwing the cricket ball his dad had gotten him for Christmas up and down as he did so. He'd always had a fondness for the Muggle sport.

The bell rang and he shoved the ball into his bag, stepping away from the wall and searching the crowds for Stefan. True to his word, he'd sought out his dorm mate in order to talk to him about Lily. He too had noticed the change in attitude that Stefan had been displaying as of late. Usually he was a nice person, happy to join in on a joke but now he seemed sad and almost depressed.

"Hey Stefan! Wait up!" Remus called, jogging and weaving through the crowd to catch up with the bulky boy, who ran a hand through his hair nervously.

"Hullo Remus. What's going on?"

"I wanted to have a talk with you about Lily." Remus said cautiously. Stefan grimaced.

"Yeah, I know I'm being a prick." he said, stunning Remus.

"Oh."

"Yeah. But I just get so frustrated."

"What about?" Remus asked, heading into an empty classroom and closing the door behind him. Stefan threw his bag on the floor and sat on the top of a desk, wrinkling his nose.

"Do you know how it feels to want someone you can't have?"

Remus's immediate answer would have been 'Yes', but all he said was, "No."

"Well, it sucks." Stefan said simply, sounding a little bitter. "I see the way James looks at her, and he's completely in love with her. Genuinely and fully. He would do anything for her, be anything for her, but she doesn't want him. I know it's only a matter of time though. She always used to talk about how James had the potential to be a better person, he only had to open his eyes and heart a little bit. He's changed a lot over the last year, and I think she's starting to see it. I've liked her for ages, but there's always been a part of me that's known that she was meant for him. They complete each other and I guess I feel..."

"Like if you can't have her life isn't worth living?" Remus said quietly. He knew where Stefan was coming from because he was living through it himself.

Stefan nodded. "Exactly." he sighed. "I don't want to break up with her, but I think it might be the right thing to do."

"Do you love her?" Remus asked.

Stefan paused. "Yeah. Yeah I do." he replied. "But I don't think it's the same kind of love that she deserves. The same kind of love that James can give her."

Remus clapped Stefan on the shoulder. "I'm sorry mate."

"Me too." Stefan agreed. "She's a great girl."

"That she is." Remus smiled. "But I think you're doing the right thing. Question is; are you going to be okay?"

Stefan shrugged, getting to his feet. "I think so. Maybe after a while. I hope after all this Lily will still be my friend."

Remus ran a hand through his hair, tousling it gently. "Good luck, man."

Stefan slung his bag over his shoulder and smiled tightly, walking to the door. "Cheers Remus. And one more thing?" Remus looked up, eyebrows raised. "You might want to tell Belle how you feel about her. I have a bad feeling about her boyfriend and I think you might be better for her."

Remus's jaw went slack. "Wha—how—I—did—"

Stefan laughed loudly. "Your face is priceless. Mate, it's obvious that you're mad about her. Just tell her."

Remus swallowed thickly and said, quite squeakily, "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."

Stefan saluted, a grimace on his face as he left. Remus sank down into the closest chair, his hand in front of his mouth, shaking his head sadly.

**OoOoO**

Belle sighed, pushing her lunch around on her plate, her appetite vanishing. Lily and Mary sat across from her, giggling and being merry as they playfully threw food at each other. Down the table sat the Marauders, save for Remus, who were planning James's birthday party for that evening. She had a sparring session with Remus in ten minutes, but she was dreading going. Since the incident a few nights ago, she'd been terrified about spending alone time with Remus. Every time they touched her knees felt weak and her skin crawled in a way that made her toes curl.

She shouldn't feel this way about Remus, not after he rejected her so coldly and especially not now that she had a boyfriend, an extremely amazing boyfriend too.

"So, how's Cooper going?" Lily asked Mary, who blushed brightly.

"He's amazing. He's always really busy because he works as a musician and they train every day. He says it's hard to get away. He's really nice though."

"I'm glad you're happy." Lily smiled gently, a little sad as she said so.

"Thanks Lils."

"Although, I'm a little suspicious of Sirius at the moment." Belle added, setting her fork down. "I think he may fancy you."

"Me?" Mary asked, "Why would he want me when he could have anyone in the school?"

"Well, you're sweet, kind, caring, loyal, brave and you're the only one in our year with natural blonde hair." Belle listed on her fingers. "Besides, he's always sticking up for you whenever those bitches pick in you."

Mary blushed. "Shut up, Tink."

"Don't call me that." Belle said quickly, glancing at her watch with a frown. "And you know it's true."

"Shouldn't you get going?" Lily said, catching Belle looking at the time. "Wouldn't want to keep Remus waiting."

Belle sighed. "Right." she said, getting up and slinging her bag over her shoulder, "I'd better go."

"Good luck." Mary said, giving her a small wave as Belle left, walking across the Entrance Hall and up the stairs to their normal practising area. She would be sore after this and she had an important ballet class tomorrow and she did not want to walk in sporting bruises.

"Hey." Remus said, getting up from where he had been stretching on the floor, which was covered in soft foam mats for them to work on. "You ready?"

"Yeah." she said, throwing her bag down, kicking off her shoes and preparing herself. They went through the normal exercises and moves that they usually did. Belle was careful to avoid brushing against his skin. She was afraid of the spark that would surely ignite if they did by chance share contact.

An hour later, soaked in sweat and panting, Belle was ready to call it a day. She was sore from being pinned, punched and even slapped a few times and was ready for a hot shower. She patted her forehead and neck with the towel that she had brought.

"You did well today." Remus said, picking up his water bottle and taking a long drink from it. She smiled.

"Thanks. You weren't so bad yourself." she said. Remus grinned but it quickly faded, turning into a frown.

"Your arm."

"What?" she asked. He strode forwards and gripped her arm exposing the scratch that had been dug into her the flesh there. Belle gasped silently as a hot bolt of lightning shot up her arm, making her cheeks flush and her eyes dart upwards, looking him in the eyes for the first time in a long while. She could see it there too.

He felt the electricity and it was back with a vengeance.

He didn't say anything, his gaze darting down to her lips and then back up again. He swallowed thickly, his hand still around her arm. One moment Belle was standing next to him, the next she was up against the wall, her lips against Remus's, kissing him with every ounce of passion she possessed. Her hands found their way into his hair and behind his neck, holding him to her, his chest, hips and the tops of his legs pressing against hers, pinning her to the wall. His mouth coaxed her lips open, his tongue brushing against hers. His hand was on her waist while the other caressed her cheek gently, making her smile slightly. Fire ran through Belle's veins and she realised that she had never felt more alive than she did right then. Belle let out a breathy little sigh, content and happy with the way her toes were curling and loving the way Remus kissed her.

Her eyes snapped open and she pushed him away, breathing heavily and blinking. Remus looked down at her, his eyes slightly unfocused and his lips parted.

"You can't do that." she muttered, slipping under his arm and backing away. Remus licked his lips and rubbed the back of his neck, his golden eyes boring into her violet ones.

"You kissed me back." he said, his voice husky and very, very sexy.

"I...well...you kissed me first." she said, but she wasn't entirely sure. It was a blur to her.

"You still kissed me back." he pointed out.

"You know what? I need to go." Belle said hurriedly, picking up her bag and rushing for the door, but Remus stood in front of it, his hands on her shoulders. "Stop touching me!" she said, stepping out of his reach.

"Ah ha!" Remus cried triumphantly. "You _do_ feel the connection, don't you?"

"Please let me leave." she said, avoiding eye contact.

"You can't deny the fact that there is something between us!" Remus said his eyes a little desperate. Belle huffed.

"Well, last time I checked, I had a boyfriend and you didn't want me!" she half shouted. Remus opened his mouth but no words came out. "Exactly." Belle went on, pushing past him. He stuttered, watching her as she jogged up the corridor, turned left and disappeared, his hands shaking still.


	15. Chapter 15

**A.N—Okay, so it turns out that I do have a friend whose name starts with a B! Shiyu, this chapter is dedicated to you! :) **

**Disclaimer—Yeah...no. **

**OoOoO**

Chapter Fifteen  
Rage

Belle held her back up, her arm extended and her feet pointed in her sweaty, hot and cramped pointe shoes as Harley held her above his head in a lift. They were doing the ball scene from Cinderella, just before the clock struck midnight and the prince gives his love a kiss.

"Yes, that's it." Mr Fitz said in encouragement. "Really extend your eyeline."

Harley shifted his hands so that she slid to the ground gracefully, where they looked at each other for the longest time, before he slowly caressed her cheek with his hand, finally kissing her softly. The clock chimed and Belle stepped away, looking to the left worriedly. She then pranced across the floor, gracefully turning before exiting, making sure to drop the shoe in her wake so that Harley could pick it up.

The room broke out into cheers and Belle smiled, wiping her brow with the back of her hand. Harley winked at her while Mr Fitz dismissed the class, claiming that it had been a wonderful rehearsal. Belle walked over to Harley, grinning.

"So, I guess I'll see you at the party tonight?" she asked. He nodded as he pulled on sweat pants and a T-shirt.

"Of course. Should I bring anything?" he asked, his Irish accent thick with exhaustion.

"Nope. Just yourself." Belle said, slipping out of her shoes and shoving them into her bag.

"Say, where do your friends think you're going if they don't know you dance?"

"They think I take extra classes." she laughed. "If they ever found out, they'd never let me hear the end of it."

"That sucks." he replied, standing up and checking his watch. "Sorry babe. I gotta run." Harley pecked her on the cheek and then jogged from the room, leaving Belle alone with a confused expression.

Across the room, Hannah Briggs laughed cruelly, walking over in an arrogant manner that immediately reminded Belle of Jodie. "You are so blind."

"Excuse me?" Belle asked.

Hannah held up her hands, a smug expression on her face. "If you can't see it, then that's your problem."

Belle glared at her until she turned around, and then flipped her off.

**OoOoO**

Stefan and Lily were standing next to each other awkwardly and James couldn't help but smirk a little at this. Sirius was at his side, downing shots and Remus was staring into the fire miserably. Finally the little blonde girl wandered over to them, a bottle of beer in her hand.

"What's going on boys?" Mary asked, blushing a little. James shrugged.

"Staring at the girl I can't have and slowly dying on the inside because of it." James replied, and even though he said it lightly, he couldn't help the hurt from seeping into his voice just a little bit.

"Tell me about it." Sirius muttered, glancing at Mary swiftly before downing another drink.

"Amen to that." Remus sighed. Mary frowned.

"That sucks." she said simply.

"You haven't seen Belle, have you?" Remus asked, sounding a it hopeful. Mary giggled and blushed even harder.

"She's upstairs with Harley. They're...well...shagging, I guess." she said, drinking from the bottle. Remus went perfectly still, his hands curled into fists and staring into the fire, which only made his eyes glow. Sirius must have sensed danger because he grabbed his friend by the shoulders, steering him out of the common room and walking away. Remus was literally shaking with rage.

"Moony, you need to calm down." Sirius said in a bored tone.

"YOU EXPECT ME TO CALM DOWN?!" Remus shouted. Sirius didn't even blink.

"You're in love with her." he said and Remus continued to pace, fuming. "You're so in love with her and the fact that she's upstairs, with some other guy hurts. I get it."

"How would you know?" Remus snarled and for the first time, Sirius looked annoyed.

"I know what it's like to fancy someone I can't have, Remus. Do you think I like hearing Mary giggling over the table about this Cooper guy, who gets to hold her and kiss her and tell her how beautiful she is? Do you think I enjoy that? Well, I don't. I've just learned to live with it because I know that one day that Cooper is going to fuck things up so bad that Mary will be really hurt, and who's going to be there for her? I will. I'll get to be the one she goes to when she needs someone. I'll be the one to defend her against anyone who tries to hurt her. I'll be the one to love her like she deserves."

Remus was staring at Sirius in shock. Sirius sighed, running a hand through his raven black locks.

"Look," Sirius said, "You obviously care about Belle a lot. But getting mad and getting upset about it isn't going to make it any better. You need to let her go a little bit."

Remus shook his head. "I want her, but I can't have her."

Sirius looked sympathetic. "I know, mate. Just think. You've only fancied Belle for a year. I've only fancied Mary for a few months. Imagine how Prongs feels. He's been in love with Lily for years!" Remus chuckled, just a little bit. "And besides," Sirius went on, "I think—and if you tell anyone I said this, I'll hex you— but, I think that you and Belle are meant for each other."

Remus shoved his hands in his pockets. "Why should she even like me back? I was a total arse to her."

"You didn't fancy her then. You do now." Sirius smiled. "She'll get over it when you show her how good of a shag you are."

Remus rolled his eyes, grinning. Sirius clapped him on the back and the walked back towards the party.

"Say, when you took Mary out of the common room a few weeks back, what did you do?" Remus asked a little slyly. Sirius smirked.

"I took her down to the kitchen, got her a hot chocolate, told her that Jodie was a slag that wasn't worth her time and that she was beautiful no matter what anybody said." Sirius said quickly. He then groaned. "Dammit. All this lovey-dovey shit is making me into a complete pansy."

Remus sighed, smiling. "Welcome to the club."

"This is bullshit." Sirius muttered, his lip twisting, as if there was an unpleasant taste on his tongue.


	16. Chapter 16

**A.N—Thanks for all the love and reviews!**

**Disclaimer—Um...No. Just No.**

**OoOoO**

Chapter Sixteen  
After Affects

Mary and Lily were already at the table when Belle sat down, grabbing a piece of toast and holding it between her teeth while she piled up her plate with food. Mary giggled.

"You've got quite an appetite there, Tink. Hard work last night?" she asked, still giggling as Belle turned red.

"Oh, my!" Lily said with a cheeky expression. "She's turning red!"

"'Ut up 'oth of you." Belle said around her toast. Lily wrinkled her nose.

"So...how was it?" Mary asked eagerly. "How do you feel?"

Belle had been the first in their small circle of friends to go all the way with a boy, and although Lily was a little more reserved about asking questions, she was still equally as curious and leaned forward in anticipation.

Belle chewed thoughtfully for a moment before swallowing and then leaning forward on her arms and saying, "I feel...sore."

Mary's face fell. "That's it?"

Belle rolled her eyes. "Yes, that's it." she said taking another bite of toast.

"So, it wasn't magical or exciting or anything?" Mary asked, visibly shrinking in disappointment. Belle shrugged.

"Merlin knows I was nervous, but he certainly knew what he was doing, so that wasn't so bad. I didn't know what to expect, really. It was nice, though." Belle added as an afterthought. Mary brightened a little bit.

"Oh." she chirped, taking a long drink from her pumpkin juice. Belle decided to change topic, turning to Lily.

"So, how drunk did you get last night?" she asked. Lily frowned.

"I don't know. All I know is that I woke up in Stefan's bed this morning—my clothes were still on, though, so don't get any ideas, Mary." she added quickly before Mary had a chance to squeal.

"So, pretty drunk, I take it." Belle laughed. Lily winked and slung her bag over her shoulder as they got up.

"We'd better get to Defence. Don't want Kendra to blow a blood vessel." Lily rolled her eyes and Mary snorted, following after them.

Further down the table, Remus was fuming. Sirius was kind of surprised that steam wasn't blowing out of his ears. Peter was playing with his cutlery absent mindedly, not paying attention as usual. James just looked upset.

"I hate my life." James moaned as he put his head on the table.

"It could be worse." Sirius muttered. James didn't even look up.

"How?" James asked, his voice a little muffled.

"Well...you could be dead." Remus said, his posture stiff and his words cold.

"Death would kinda be a relief, honestly." James mumbled.

"Okay, this is getting ridiculous." Sirius said. "Moony, chill. Prongs, get a grip. You're both acting as though Stefan and Harley aren't going to fuck everything up. Truth is, they will."

"So you expect the girls to just turn around and start snogging us?" Remus asked, stabbing a sausage.

"No." Sirius said, sounding tired. "I expect they'll be upset. That's your opportunity to show them you really care."

Sirius got up and flicked his black hair to the side, sighing as he walked away, muttering "Do I have to be the looks and the brains? Merlin, what is Hogwarts coming to?"

**OoOoO**

Belle turned on the raised platform as the seamstress fitted pins to her costume for Cinderella. She had three in total. One that she wore when she was a servant, then her ball gown costume and last the waltz which was the wedding scene.

She was wearing her ball gown costume now, which was a a beautiful white number, with a romantic tutu and a corset bodice. It was decorated with silver beads and pearls, something that contrasted with Belle's skin well.

"Alright, sweetheart, you're done." the woman said, smiling at her sweetly and then helping her out of the costume. Belle thanked her and then made her way to their rehearsal. She was hit with the scent of bad body odour and hairspray, which is not a good combination.

"Ah, good, Belle." Mr Fitz smiled. "We're about to do the last waltz. Are you warmed up?"

Belle nodded. "Of course."

"Then positions, please." Mr Fitz said, clapping his hands.

Belle took her position and then smiled, slipping into her character easily. When she danced, she was pretending to be someone else, and yet she was herself as well. Harley entered, her prince, and he winked at her. She blushed and then they began to dance together, their movements in complete sync.

She prepared herself for the lift and when it came, she felt fear because the floor was getting closer. She crashed down on her shoulder, crying out in pain. Harley was swearing and she sat up, rubbing her sore shoulder.

"What's happened? Belle, are you alright?" Mr Fitz asked and Belle nodded, her hands shaking.

"Yeah, I'm fine." she replied. "Ju-just a bruise."

Mr Fitz scanned her face and then turned to Harley. She knew then that the failure of the lift hadn't been her fault. She'd been ready, pulled up and perfectly correct. Harley had failed in some way, and that made her mad.

"You need to be there for her." Mr Fitz said loudly, the entire class watching. "Don't drop her again."

Belle's eyes widened. If she hadn't known any better, she would have said that it had been a threat.

Harley swallowed, his lips pursed. "Understood, sir." he said. Mr Fitz walked away, calling for the ball scene dancers to come to the stage. Belle grabbed Harley by the hand and dragged him to the corner.

"What is going on with you today?" she asked. "You've been acting odd since the party two weeks ago! Did I do something wrong?"

Harley looked at her and the expression on his face was chilly. Belle would have cowered if she hadn't been a Gryffindor.

"No." he stated, his voice dead and uncaring. "You didn't do anything."

Belle opened her mouth to say something, but he pushed past her and left her standing alone. She bit her lip, worried. For some reason, what Hannah Briggs had said to her a few weeks ago flashed into her mind and Harley's behaviour unfolded in front of her and for the first time, fear clutched at her heart.


	17. Chapter 17

**A.N—Thanks for the love. **

**Disclaimer—I own nothing.**

**OoOoO**

Chapter Seventeen  
Tag

Belle drummed her fingers on the tabletop and then glanced at her watch again, finally getting up and throwing a few pounds down and sweeping her coat on as she walked out of the café. She growled, running a hand through her honey coloured hair which was being blown about in the soft breeze. She headed towards the park, muttering profanities under her breath, not even looking where she was going.

It was the third time in the last month that Harley had blown her off. He always had some excuse or other commitment. One time he'd even had the nerve to say that he'd 'forgotten.'

"Bollocks." she muttered. Belle looked up just in time to crash right into someone, knocking them to the ground and tumbling down on top of them.

"Ouch." he muttered and Belle blinked, biting her lip.

"Remus?" she asked. And it was. The same almond coloured hair, kind amber eyes and the small scar above his left eyebrow that ran up to and behind his hairline. He blinked up at her, dazed, but when he seemed to realise that it was her, his hands came up to her waist, holding her to him.

"Belle." he murmured. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm so sorry." she said, momentarily caught in his spell. "I didn't see you."

He smiled ruefully. "I didn't see you either." he said, but Belle suspected that there was a double meaning behind those words. She scrambled to her feet, brushing the leaves off her jeans and then sighing.

"So, what are you doing in London?" Remus asked, running a hand through his hair. Belle narrowed her eyes as she looked away.

"I was supposed to be on a date." she replied, crossing her arms. Remus raised an eyebrow.

"Supposed to?" he repeated, and then comprehension dawned. "He stood you up?"

"Yes." she sighed. Remus felt a little thrill run through him, happy that the prat had screwed up yet again, although he felt guilty because Belle was obviously less than pleased.

"He's a jerk." Remus stated. "Want me to hex him?"

Belle scowled. "Thanks but no. I think I'll deal with him on my own." she said and then looked up at him, craning her neck to do so. "What are you doing in town?"

"I'm just wandering around. I wanted some fresh air." he replied. Belle frowned.

"How did you get out of the castle?"

Remus winked. "Ask me no questions and I shall tell you no lies."

She smiled briefly. "Well, I'd better get going." she sighed. Remus looked horrified before he grinned and poked her in the shoulder.

"Tag, you're it!" he cried before darting off to the side and into the park. Belle looked a little confused but chased after him, laughing a little bit. She hadn't played this game on too long, and the last time she had, it had been with her brothers. She missed them a lot when she wasn't at home, especially since Toby would be getting married to Phoebe soon.

"Remus!" she called, half laughing, "Remus! What are we, five?"

She ran around the park, looking for him, ducking behind bushes and trying to find him, earning her some strange looks from the young mothers who were watching their children play.

Belle found him sitting up in the tree, leaning against the trunk with his hands behind his head and looking relaxed. She gasped, half from running, half from laughing.

"I'm so going to get you!" she grinned, starting to climb the tree nimbly, her leg strength and flexibility allowing her to gain height quickly and soon, she was sitting up on the same branch as Remus. He blinked.

"Where did you learn to do that?" he asked, sounding amazed.

"What?" she asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"That!" he said, "Climb up so easily. It was so fluid and motionless. Like you were dancing."

Belle shrugged. "I don't know." she admitted. "I just do it."

"Well, that's cool. You'll have to teach me sometime." he said. Belle smiled a little bit. Remus smiled and then sighed, looking down at the people below. Belle couldn't help but admire him a little bit. He was just so handsome and the incident in the practise room the other day came back to her, making her flush lightly.

"It's so quiet up here."

She jumped, his deep voice shocking her a little and when she'd recovered she said, "I love noise though. Music, chatter, laughter, it's perfect to me." she said, unsure why she was telling him this. "I guess it's because I grew up with five brothers."

Remus titled his head to the side. "That's very poetic."

She blushed, saying nothing. "I don't know why I said told you that." she admitted. Remus smiled.

"It's nice to be able to talk to somebody this way." he said. "With the boys, it's a bit hard and Lily and Stefan are always off snogging or on dates..."

Belle sent him a look that told him she knew where he was coming from. She then leaned over, tapped his leg and jumped form the branch, landing on her feet lightly.

"You're it!" she cried. Remus gaped at her for a moment before grinning, jumping down and chasing after her, a ridiculous smile on his face.


	18. Chapter 18

**A.N—I'll be the first to admit that this fanfic isn't as good as my others, but hopefully you will all still review. I hope that this makes you laugh a little.**

**Disclaimer—Nope.**

**OoOoO**

Chapter Eighteen  
Strictly Girl Time

Belle shut the door to her dorm and kicked off her shoes. It had been a rough day, at rehearsal and at school. Her Charms exam had been horrible, but she had succeeded in her self defence. Remus had taken a bit of a beating, though and she felt a bit horrible for being so rough with him.

Her mind wandered to the other day, when she had spent the whole day with him, laughing and running through the park. She didn't know why, but she felt as though he knew something about her, something even she didn't. He'd tried to catch her hand with his own at one stage, and she'd let him take it. Belle had then felt the powerful electricity that came whenever she touched him, and it had grown even stronger. She wondered how long it would be before the voltage got so high she died from the shock.

Belle undid her cloak and sighed, throwing it onto her bed. A sniffle came from Lily's bed and Belle frowned, peeking around the hangings and her frown melting into an expression of concern.

"Lils! Oh, baby girl, what's happened?" she asked as she sat down, hugging Lily tightly. Her friend was crying like the sky was falling.

"Stefan and I...we...we..."

Belle's violet eyes grew wide and she drew back, brushing the hair off Lily's wet cheeks. "You two broke up, didn't you?" she whispered to which Lily nodded before another wave of sorrow washed over her and forced her to start crying.

Belle tutted, getting up from the bed and crossing the room quickly, grabbing a large bar of Honeydukes chocolate from her desk and rushing back back over, handing it to Lily.

"Here." she said. "It'll help."

Lily smiled weakly, nibbling on a small piece.

"Did he say why?" Belle asked. Lily sighed.

"He said it was because he knew we wouldn't work out, that he wasn't the one for me."

Belle looked disgusted. "That's it?"

"No! It's because it's true!" Lily wailed, setting aside the chocolate. "I...I don't love him!"

Belle took Lily's hand and looked at her seriously. "Lily. Is there something you'd like to tell me?"

Lily sniffled, wiping her nose on her jumper. "He was right. All this time, he was right. I knew he had the potential to be a better man, to be kind and caring instead of an arrogant bullying toerag. He's really changed in the last year and I just...I can't help but stare at him sometimes and wonder what it would be like to kiss him and..."

Belle gasped, "You're in love with James Potter, aren't you?"

Lily bit her lip, shrugging. "I don't know." she said, throwing her arms up helplessly and on the verge of tears. "I don't know what I feel because I've never felt like this before! When we touch it's like electricity and it just gets more and more powerful each time!"

Belle bit her lip because she could understand that. She knew how that felt and it scared her. "Well, what are you going to do?"

Lily looked helpless"I have no idea!" Belle leaned back on her hands.

"I suppose you could tell James how you feel."

Lily's green eyes went wide. "Are you mad?!"

Belle blinked. "I don't think so." she replied seriously. Lily got up, sighing. "You know you'll have to eventually, Lils. He's been madly in love with you for years. Once he finds out...well, he won't let you go. It almost killed him to see you with Stefan."

Lily whipped around, frowning at Belle. "Really?"

Belle nodded. "Yeah."

Lily sighed thoughtfully, but then turned around, pointing and accusing finger at Belle. "Well, what about you?! You're still in love with Remus!"

Belle gaped at Lily, resembling a fish. "I...what? No!"

"Yes, you are! You pretend like you don't care, but you do! You never let him go after he rejected you! I bet something happened between the two of you and you just won't admit that there is something really between you two!"

Belle jumped off the bed. "Okay yes, fine, I'll admit, we kissed and that was it! I knew in that moment that he was the one, the only one for me, but I can't have him because I'm in a committed relationship with a boy I really like who is very sweet. I can't just break up with him because I may be in love with someone else!" Belle cried before clapping her hand over her mouth, shocked. Lily looked surprised too, and was hyperventilating.

The door opened at that moment and Mary walked in, her smile dying on her face.

"What's wrong?"

"Okay, one; we have crappy love lives. Two; we need some girl time." Lily said, rushing into the bathroom for a moment before coming back with towels, lotions and moisturisers. Belle bit her lip and started grabbing their pyjamas, bathrobes and bathers while Mary giggled, throwing her stuff down and grabbing her things to join them. Lily grabbed Belle and Mary's hands and together, they ran out of Gryffindor Tower and down to the fourth floor, where they entered the prefects bathroom.

A round bathtub the size of an Olympic swimming pool was carved into the ground and hundreds of different taps with different scented bubbles and coloured water were set into the far wall. A beautiful stained glass window of an owl soaring through the sky was actually moving, and the owl continued to circle around and around, hooting happily.

Lily Mary and Belle changed into their bathers and slipped into the hot water gratefully, sighing. There was at least eight inches of thick bubbles and the water was so deep, Belle was treading water to stay afloat.

"This so nice!" Lily said, slipping under the water for a moment and coming back up, running a hand through her drenched hair and smiling. Belle floated on the top of the water while Lily swam around, giggling and splashing Mary.

Belle hoisted herself up and grabbed one of her lotions, rubbing it into her feet. She did this every night to keep her skin soft and protect it against the brutality of pointe shoes. Thank Merlin for magic.

Belle looked around when she heard footsteps and male laughter. She slipped back into the water and shot Lily a look. Mary scrambled out of the water, hid their clothes and then dove back in just as the door opened to the bathroom. Belle groaned and slipped under the water. The marauders had arrived.

To Lily, Mary and Belle's _slight_ horror, they realised that they were starting to strip down. Lily swam over to the edge and whistled loudly. The boys looked up in shock and then stumbled backwards in their boxers.

"Yeah, this bathroom is taken." Lily called sweetly. "Strictly girl time."

Mary waved and Belle surfaced next to Lily smiling. "So, no offence, but go away." Belle said.

Sirius smirked. "Can't we just join you?" he asked. Remus was staring at Belle and James was practically drooling.

"Um...no." Mary said sharply.

"Why not?" Sirius asked.

"Because...because...um..." Mary floundered.

"Because we're naked." Lily said sharply, growing red as she said it. Belle shot her a look and then back at the boys, whose eyes had grown wide.

"Just a quick dip, then?" Sirius pleaded.

"No!" Mary, Lily and Belle cried and he held his hands up in surrender.

"Okay then." he said. "C'mon gents. Let's go to the one on the sixth floor."

James and Remus hovered for a moment more before they grabbed their clothes and made their exit. Belle sighed in relief and then began laughing.

"Nice one, Lils. 'We're naked.' Honestly. That was genius." Mary said,clapping her hands in appreciation.

"I salute to you, my friend." Belle said getting up out of the tub and padding over to the towels, wrapping one around her body and then drying herself off. She glanced at the floor when something caught her eye. She walked over, picking up the blue woollen jumper that one of the boy's had left behind. She caught the tag and read the name there, _Lupin. _

She smiled to herself. Belle knew she should return it, but that didn't stop her from packing it away with her things, his aftershave still lingering in her nose, making her feel a little dizzy and giddy.


	19. Chapter 19

**A.N—I've been looking forward to this chapter. **

**Disclaimer—Ha ha ha ha! NO.**

**OoOoO**

Chapter Nineteen  
Cheater, Cheater.

Belle didn't know why, but she slept with the jumper that night. It was comforting and warm, and it smelt like him. She knew she shouldn't, but Belle couldn't help herself. Lily shot her a strange look, but she must have suspected that the jumper was Harley's, and she said nothing.

Belle rolled over, throwing back the covers and stretching. Lily was just coming out of the bathroom, tying the sash on her bathrobe, her red hair wet and curly around her shoulders. Belle trudged towards the bathroom and showered, getting dressed and rubbing her hair with a towel as she stepped out of the steamy air.

"Where's Mary?" she asked Lily, pointing to the empty bed in their dorm.

"She's on a date with Cooper." Lily replied, watching as Belle pulled out her favourite blue summer dress. "Why are getting all dressed up?"

"I have a date with Harley." she replied, but then bit her lip. "But, if you want me to stay with you, I will."

Lily shook her head, smiling. "Don't be silly! Go and have fun with your boyfriend!"

Belle bit her lip. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Lily replied. "Do you want some help with your hair?"

Belle nodded, running over to sit down gracefully at the vanity table, her back straight as a rod. She'd always prided herself on having wonderful posture. Lily took the brush in her hand, combing Belle's hair and then pinning it up in a French swirl.

"I've always loved your hair." Lily murmured. "It reminds me of gold. It's so much nicer than mine."

"You're is like fire," Belle replied, "Which can melt gold."

Lily smiled and slid the last pin into place. "There. Perfect." she said.

Belle turned and hugged her friend. "So, what are you going to do today?"

"I think I'll just stay in. I'd just like some alone time today." Lily admitted and Belle frowned in sympathy.

"So...Are you going to talk with Remus about how you feel?" Lily asked after a moment.

Belle bit her lip. "I don't know. Maybe. But...I don't want to give up on Harley. We have something that's good and real. I don't want to lose that. Besides, Remus and I...together we're like fire fighting fire. Explosive and dangerous."

Lily smiled. "But isn't that what makes it love?" she asked. "It's how I feel around..."

Lily trailed off and Belle laid a hand on he friend's shoulder. "It'll be okay Lils. You'll see. Besides...James is a fittie, isn't he?"

Lily's jaw dropped in half a smile, but she laughed anyway, swatting Belle on the arm as she ran out the dorm, giggling. Belle swung her violet cloak around her shoulders, stepping into the fire in the common room and getting swept up in a swirl of green flames. She appeared in the Leaky Cauldron, dusting herself off and smiling at the landlord, Tom.

She walked through the alleyway, waving at some familiar faces and frowning at the poor people whose homes had been destroyed by the Death Eaters. Voldemort was clearly gaining more power, and although it frightened her, she didn't know what to do. She would be seeking out a career in the Muggle world and if she got herself tangled up in a wizarding war, that could put her plans in a bad place.

She saw the restaurant that she was supposed to be meeting Harley at and she saw him. She smiled at him and waved, but her smiled died on her face. It was definitely him, she was sure of that. The man a few feet from her was tall and lean, but muscled from hours spent lifting weights and holding up girls. He had curly black hair, brown eyes and cute dimples.

Harley.

And he was kissing another girl.

Belle felt a hot stab of jealousy and hurt surge through her. It was so strong it brought tears to her eyes. Biting her lip, she sucked in a breath and made to walk over, but then Harley shifted and she saw the girl that he had been cheating with.

Another stab of hurt ran through her when she saw that it was Mary. It had to be. The girl had the same curly blonde hair, the same big beautiful blue eyes and the same kind face.

Mary caught sight of Belle and she smiled widely. "Belle! Come and meet my boyfriend Cooper!"

Harley turned around and his brown eyes widened as he went pale. Belle steeled herself, walking stiffly towards them.

"We've already met, Mary." Belle said through clenched teeth. Harley seemed to have lost his words.

Mary looked surprised. "Really? Where?"

"About a year ago." Belle replied. "Mary, may I introduce you to my boyfriend Harley?"

Mary frowned and Harley stepped away from the two witches. "What are you talking about, Belle?"

"This is my boyfriend, Harley, who is also your boyfriend, Cooper." Belle said, her voice sounding dead and incredibly sad. "He's been cheating on you with me, and he's been cheating on me with you. My best friend."

Mary blanched, ripping her hand out of Harley's grasp, tears forming in her eyes. "Is it true?" she demanded, putting an arm around Belle, who felt numb.

Harley stuttered, "Um...well..."

"Is it true?!" Mary all but shouted.

"Well. Kinda."

Mary burst into tears and Belle's sadness left her, instantly replaced by fury. Belle stepped forward and slapped him across the cheek with every ounce of strength she had. He had cheated on her, with Mary. It was one thing to hurt her, but to hurt her best friend?

"You bastard." Belle spat. "You stay away from us."

She realised that would be hard because they were to be dancing together in the school production in less than two weeks, but she needed him to stay away from Mary.

"Belle, I lo—"he was cut off by another slap, on the other cheek this time. Belle was breathing hard.

"Don't you dare!" she growled, walking away and grabbing Mary's hand. "Let's go, Mary."

"Belle it was always you!" he cried after them and Mary froze, her face filled with anger as she turned, walked up to Harley briskly and punched him right on the nose. He stumbled and as he did, his wand fell out of his pocket. Mary looked up and Belle crossed her arms, nodding. Mary raised her foot and stomped down on the wand, breaking it cleanly in half. She then flicked her hair over her shoulder, leaving Harley moaning on the ground with a bloody nose and broken wand. Belle linked arms with Mary, who led the way to the Leaky Cauldron.

"I can't believe this actually happened." Mary muttered. "I can't believe I was dating the same boy my best friend was dating and gave her virginity to."

"Oh my god." Belle breathed. "He was dating you at the same time as we were..."

Mary spat. "He's a bastard. A no good, two-timing pile of dragon dung."

"You said it." Belle agreed, feeling numb. "How long have you two been dating?"

"Seven months now. Why?"

"Because I think it might have been around the time I said no to sex." Belle replied in a hollow voice. She looked down at Mary quickly. "How did you two meet?"

Mary closed her eyes. "It was a random hook up when I went out with my sister after Christmas." she replied as they stepped into the fire. They reappeared in the Gryffindor common room, which was deserted aside from Lily, Remus, Sirius and James.

Lily looked up with a surprised look. "You two are back early. What's happened?"

Mary bit her wobbling lip, tears in her eyes as she sat down as if her legs were no longer able to support herself. There, she burst into tears, alarming Sirius so much that he put an arm around her. Belle explained what had happened in a dead sort of voice, tears running down her cheeks as she did so. James was grimacing as he sat next to a furious and astounded Lily. Remus looked like he was about to faint or punch someone, Belle wasn't sure which.

When she'd finished, Belle slumped onto the couch and started to cry silently. Sirius took Mary out for a walk and James and Lily headed upstairs, whispering in hushed tones, speaking urgently.

Belle felt someone sit next to her and touch her arm and she looked round, but then shook her head. She didn't want Remus to see her cry.

"Hey." he mumbled. "C'mere."

She sighed, moving to the right a little bit, cuddling up to him as she cried and he comforted her.

"You shouldn't cry over a guy who doesn't know how good he's got it." Remus said softly, brushing the stubborn piece of hair that always fell in her eyes away. She sniffled.

"Then why does it hurt so much?"

"Because you were the one who was brave enough to let him in, to see your soul. And what did he do with that? He discarded the opportunity at having someone love him because he was selfish. You need someone who'll treat you right, who'll think every other girl pales in comparison to you." Remus sounded so sincere, his eyes burning with a fire that told Belle that he meant every word of what he was saying.

Belle smiled at him before putting her head on his shoulder, sighing and wiping her eyes. "You're such a good friend, Remus."

Emotionally exhausted, Belle fell asleep within minutes. Remus sat there stroking her hair and after a while, he whispered, "I will always love you, no matter how many times you break my heart. Don't you worry. I'm not going anywhere."


	20. Chapter 20

**A.N—Whoa! I love it!**

**Also, does anybody have a preference as to a coupling they'd like me to do in another fanfic? Because I am running out of ideas and some help would be appreciated. Much love!**

**Disclaimer—I own a silver ring that my bestie gave me, not Harry Potter. **

**OoOoO**

Chapter Twenty  
Heaven.

Belle blew out a breath as she dropped her bag down on the floor, sitting down in her chair in the crowded and hot dressing room. The time had finally come for the end of year performance and she was jittery with nerves. Her family would be attending for the first time in years and for once she was nervous. Whenever she performed, she only felt elated or excited, but now? Now she was wracked with nerves so violent that her hand shook as she applied her stage makeup. She smiled at Eliza, who loaned her a bright shade of lipstick.

Belle then pulled on her costume, a torn and tattered skirt and a brown bodice that was worn over an old fashioned white shirt. She ran into the rehearsal room, pulled on her pointe shoes and began to do some rises, slowly warming herself up. As she passed by fellow students, they wished her good luck. The simple truth hit her with a jolt then. She would never see some of these people again. They would get signed to complexions, city ballets or go on to dance at other schools. She didn't know what awaited her, but she was excited to find out.

"All students for act one to report to the stage. This is your call for the opening scene." a woman with a cool voice said over the P.A. System. Belle sighed. Another hour and then she would be on stage, performing the pieces that she had been working on for the last year.

She gathered her costumes for her quick changes and then hurried upstairs to the stage, where she discarded her costumes and snuck around the side, peeking through the wings. She walked right past Harley, who was warming up with his friends, her nose in the air.

Biting her lip, she watched in awe as the girls and boys danced, leaping, twirling and gliding across the stage. By the time the curtain went down, the audience was clapping thunderously.

There would be a fifteen minute interval and then it would be her turn. Her heart started to beat faster and Belle rolled her shoulders before getting into position, clutching the broom that was her prop with a vice like grip.

Someone touched her shoulder and she smiled up at Mr Fitz, whose eyes were glistening. "I am very proud of you, my dear. Do me proud."

"I'll try my best." Belle promised. Mr Fitz smiled.

"I know you will." he said, kissing her hand affectionately. "You always do."

He walked away and hurried back to his seat, just as Belle took a deep breath, the lights cam on and the curtain went up. She entered her world, not really thinking about where to step or when to turn or how high to lift her leg. Her body seemed to know the choreography better than her conciousness did, and she resigned herself to it, hearing nothing, seeing nothing. There was just the dance.

And it was heaven.

**OoOoO**

Belle straightened up, smiling idiotically and ignoring the dull pain in her toes, ignoring the pounding headache she had from the headpiece she was wearing and ignoring the lights that were burning in her eyes. All she was aware of was the thunderous applause of the audience, shouting and whooping. Something dropped onto the stage in front of her and she bent to pick it up, a large bouquet of roses. She smiled and curtseyed again before the curtain came down for a final time. She rushed off stage, smiling and shaking hands with so many dancers and backstage workers who congratulated her on a fantastic performance.

Smiling stupidly and scrubbing her stage makeup off, Belle packed her things up and left the dressing room and climbed four flights of stairs to exit through the stage door.

She scanned the crowd, finally spotting her brothers and running towards them. Adrian spotted her first.

"Bells!" he cried, catching her when she threw her arms around him, smiling. "You were wonderful! Why didn't you tell us you could dance like that?"

Belle slid to the ground. "I wanted to show you." she winked and Adrian kissed her on the cheek before handing her over to the twins, who crushed her from both sides in a hug, rambling at top speed. Finally, they released her and she walked over to her mother, who had red rimmed eyes and was smiling proudly.

"I am so proud of you my girl. You have a real talent." Mrs Grey said, embracing her daughter and wiping away the tears that cascaded down Belle's cheeks.

"I only wish dad could have seen it." Belle whispered.

"He did." Mrs Grey said. "And he is so very proud of you. I know it."

Belle smiled and kissed her mothers cheek. She turned to Toby, who had his arm around a very pretty blonde woman, with brown eyes and a kind, caring smile.

"Hey Toby." Belle smiled, hugging her oldest and tallest brother. "What did you think?"

"I think that you're going to be dancing for the rest of your life. You have an amazing talent, Bells."

Belle blushed and then hugged Phoebe, Toby's fiançee.

"Wonderful, Belle." Phoebe said, putting her arm around Toby again. "Just wonderful. You'll be dancing at the wedding, I hope."

Belle laughed and nodded.

"Belle Grey?"

Belle turned and blinked at Mr Fitz, who was standing with a woman with short grey hair and a stern look. She was clutching a copy of the program and although she looked stern, there were tears in her eyes.

"Hello Mr Fitz." Belle smiled.

"Belle, I'd like you to meet Ursula Poppins, the director for the Royal London Ballet and a personal friend of mine. As you know, she's going to be choreographing a production of Paquita next year."

Belle shook her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"I think the pleasure is all mine." Ursula smiled. "How would you like to join my company as a principle dancer and next year as the lead in my ballet?"

Belle gaped. "Are you serious?"

"Of course!" Ursula chuckled. "You're everything I've been looking for. You're young, you're a prima ballerina, you're beautiful and from what Jonathan has told me, you're a delight to teach."

Belle grinned. "When does class begin?"

Ursula smiled and handed Belle a card. "That's what I like to hear. Here's the address of the company studio and my phone number. We can sit down and discuss your contract. I understand that you're still young and need to finish your schooling, so we can work out times for you to rehearse."

Belle felt like a balloon was inflating in her chest and she could hardly breathe. This couldn't possibly be happening, could it? Surely her dreams hadn't come true?

"Thank you so much." she managed to gasp out, holding the card to her chest like it was the most precious diamond in the world. "I won't disappoint you."

Ursula nodded. "I know. I look forward to working with you." she said, walking away with Mr Fitz. Belle turned and hugged Adrian, squealing.

"I can't believe it!" she cried. "I just—oh my god!"

"I know!" Adrian grinned, spinning her around. "But you've earned it."

Belle was placed back on the ground and a tap on her shoulder made her look around. Harley. She glared.

"Bells, we're going to grab some butterbeers from the Leaky Cauldron. Want to come?" Jeremy asked and Belle nodded.

"Yeah, you lot go on ahead, I'll catch up." she said, turning back to her ex-boyfriend with a sour expression. "What do you want?"

"You. I want you back." Harley said, his tone able to melt even the coldest of heart and helped with that adorable Irish accent. It didn't work on Belle though. Her heart was broken, not stone.

"Well, you can't have me back. You cheated on me with my best friend. You broke her heart and mine. I gave you everything I had to give and you threw it away. Why?"

Harley shrugged helplessly. "I was drunk and Mary was gorgeous and one thing led to another...I knew that I should have told you and I knew I should have stopped seeing her, but there was just something about her...she glowed."

Belle swallowed thickly. "I see."

"I never stopped loving you, you know. I've loved you since we were little kids but I never had the courage to tell you." he said. Harley grimaced and grabbed her hand. "Is there any way you can take me back?"

Belle looked deep into his eyes and bit her lip. "No. No, there isn't. You used me and you broke my heart. I took a chance with you, and that proved to be a mistake. That's all you'll ever be to me now, Harley. A mistake." her gaze softened. "I wish you luck with your dancing."

"I got signed to the Paris Opera Ballet." he said, smiling just a little bit, but Belle could still see the pain there. "Just as a beginner, but it's still a job."

Belle punched him on the arm. "Good for you."

"So, did you get signed anywhere?" Harley asked.

Belle nodded, shoving her hands in her pockets. "Yeah, I did. Ursula Poppins signed me to the Royal London as a principle. She wants me to be the lead in her next ballet."

Harley's mouth dropped open. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah." Belle grinned. "Incredible, right?"

"Very." Harley agreed. "Listen, Belle, can we still be friends?"

"No. It would be best if we were never to see each other again, I think." she replied with a slight frown. She smiled at him sadly. "You were a good boyfriend, Harley, while it lasted."

Harley grinned. "You weren't so bad yourself."

Belle rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks." she picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder, sighing. "Good luck with everything, Harley."

"You too, Belle. Knock 'em dead."

She grinned and turned around, turning her back on her ex-boyfriend and feeling like her heart could start mending now. So many things had happened today, and she felt on top of the world.


	21. Chapter 21

**A.N—Not much to say really. ON WITH THE SHOW.**

**Disclaimer—I own a box of Lindt chocolates.**

**OoOoO**

Chapter Twenty One  
Always

Exams were over, summer was here and Belle was excited to be going home. She would miss Hogwarts, like she did every summer, but at least she knew that she could come back. She had a lot of things to do over summer, mainly helping Toby with his wedding.

_Dearest Belle,  
I can't wait for you to get home so that you can help me with wedding preparations. I'm determined to make this a day none of us will forget in a hurry. I just wanted to write to you to remind you that you need a date to the wedding, because there aren't enough grooms men. Sorry about his.  
Lots of Love,  
Phoebe._

Belle crumpled up the note and sighed. Where was she going to get a date?

**OoOoO**

Lily hummed to herself as she walked the stone corridors of school, the heat having no affect on her. It was steaming outside and most students were either packing to go home or down at the lake for one last swim. She wasn't looking forward to this summer. Petunia had moved out and was now living with her husband, Vernon, who resembled a walrus. Lily frowned in sadness at the thought of the sister who hated her, all because of magic. In a way, magic had ruined her life, but it had also made her who she is.

"Evans? Why aren't you down at the Lake?"

She spun around. "Potter." she said, surprised. "I thought I'd take a stroll before leaving."

James smirked. "Meaning you're on your period and you've got too much on your mind."

Lily blushed and shook her head. "How do you know that?"

James smiled a secret smile that made her heart beat faster. "I just know you."

They locked eyes, green onto hazel. Lily wanted to kiss him and it scared her, but also sent a thrill of anticipation through her. He swallowed, his gaze darting to her lips and then back, but he didn't move.

"I know what you're going to say, but I have to ask anyway." he said, slowly taking steps towards her. "Will you go out with me?"

Lily blinked at him and then smiled. She saw him flinch and a wary look appeared in his eyes. Lily looked down, grabbed his hand and then craned her neck to look up at him.

"I'd love to go out with you." she murmured. James blinked.

"I'm sorry? I think I misheard you." he said, sounding dazed. Lily sighed, rolling her eyes.

"You didn't hear wrong." she said, "And you're not dreaming either."

James seemed desperate. "Say it again."

"Say what?" Lily asked and then she smiled, squeezing his hand. "James Potter, I'd love to go out with you."

He grinned, closing his eyes briefly. "Nah, I'm good." he joked and Lily hit him on the arm. "OW!"

"You're a prat." she said to him, making to walk past him, but he grabbed her and pulled her to him, one hand on her waist and the other on her cheek, pressing his lips against hers. Lily kissed him back, her hands sliding around his shoulders and sighing happily. Kissing him was exactly the way she'd imagined it to be. Warm, soft and sparkling with electricity. Fireworks danced behind her eyes and when he pulled back, he was grinning like an idiot.

"So, why the change of heart?" he asked. Lily sighed, stepping away.

"I never hated you James. Never. I thought you were an arrogant arsehole, but I never hated you. I knew you had the ability to be a better person, and when you started to change, I guess I allowed myself to fancy you, after six years. You're the reason that Stefan and I broke up, you know." she said, walking over to the wall and sitting down, leaning against it. He looked stricken. "Don't blame yourself. We both knew that it wouldn't work between us."

"You were still upset." James said, sitting down on next to her and putting his arm around her. Lily nodded.

"I was upset because I couldn't love him the way he deserved, and he's one of my closest friends." Lily replied, looking up at him. "You were always the one. I think I've always known that deep down."

James kissed her again, more deeply and passionately and holding her against him tightly. She seemed a bit surprised, but kissed him back anyway.

"What was that for?" she asked, slightly out of breath.

"For just being you." James replied, getting up and extending his hand to help her to her feet. Hand in hand they walked back to the common room, laughing and smiling at the pure joy on each other's faces.

Belle was there, reading a book next to the open window, a breeze blowing her honey coloured hair around her face. She looked around at the sound of the portrait door closing and she smiled at them.

"Hey you two...wait..." her violet eyes dropped to their entwined hands and then up to their happy faces. "No. It can't be."

"It is." James said, letting go of Lily's hand and putting and arm around her instead, kissing her on the top of the head. Belle squealed and threw her book on the floor, throwing her arms around them both and laughing.

"I knew it! I knew it would happen eventually! Oh, I'm so happy for you both!" Belle said, stepping back and then sniffling. "Oh, sweet Merlin, I'm going to cry."

James looked alarmed. "Why?"

"Because this is just so goddamn cute!" Belle cried, smiling. James laughed, hugging her tightly.

"You're so adorable, Bells, you really are." he laughed and she poked her tongue out and wiped under her eyes.

"Okay, I'm going to leave you two love birds alone. I have to chase down Sirius. He owes me twenty galleons." she said, bending down and scooping up her book, laughing. Lily's face dropped.

"They bet over whether we would get together?"

"Don't take it personally, love. Sirius bets against everybody." he murmured and then he frowned. "I just can't believe that he bet twenty galleons. He really must have been cert if he bet that much against you."

Lily sighed. "He'll come around eventually."

"He'll have to. I'm hanging on to you for a long time and I have no plans on letting go." James said seriously. Lily suppressed a pleased smile and merely squeezed his hand.


	22. Chapter 22

**A.N—So James and Lily are finally together! Yay! **

**Disclaimer—I don't own it.**

**OoOoO**

Chapter Twenty Two  
What Could Possibly Go Wrong

Belle turned around in a circle, wearing the seventeenth dress that Phoebe had picked out for her bridesmaid dress. They were all the same colour of blue, but the goal was to wear different cuts and styles of dresses to make it different. Right now, Belle was having a little trouble.

"I don't know." Phoebe said, biting her lip. "Next."

Belle sighed but said nothing, going back into the dressing room and changing her dress again. She liked this one. It was above the knee, with not straps except for two thin straps that extended from the middle of the bustline. It was a deep blue and the material was shimmery and light on her skin, perfect for summer.

"It's nice to see you all. What are you boys doing in town?" she heard Phoebe say. Belle unlocked the door and stepped out.

"What do you think of this one, Bee?" Belle asked, pinning her hair up and striking a pose before laughing. Phoebe was busy talking to a group of boys and Belle's heart stopped. Of all the luck.

Phoebe turned and grinned. "That's perfect! Belle, I just ran into your friends from school! You didn't tell me that they were all so charming!" she turned to the boys. "What do you boys think? We need another opinion on the dress."

Belle blushed under the look that Remus was giving her and she did a little twirl just to break the tension. Sirius whistled and Peter started clapping.

"You look gorgeous, Tink." James winked and she scowled at the nickname. Phoebe sighed.

"Great. Now she has a dress, I just need to find her a date for the night." she said, putting her arm around Belle. Remus raised his eyebrows.

"She needs a date?" he asked. "What for?"

"My wedding this Saturday." Phoebe said and then added hopefully. "Are any of you boys free?"

"I am." Remus said immediately and Belle was tempted to strangle Phoebe.

"Would you mind taking my dearest little sister as a date, please?" Phoebe asked, batting her big brown eyes at Remus, but he wasn't looking at her. He was looking at Belle.

"Of course." he said and Belle wanted to crawl in a hole and die. "It'd be my pleasure."

"Wonderful!" Phoebe said. "It's at eleven and down near the Burrow. Molly was kind enough to lend us her south field for the wedding."

Remus smiled. "I'll see you then."

"Now, if you'll excuse us." Sirius said. "Ladies."

They left the shop, but not before Remus winked at Belle, making her blush. She then turned and slapped Phoebe on the arm lightly.

"Ow!" Phoebe cried, more from reflex than from pain.

"Seriously, Bee?" she asked, going back into the dressing room and changing into her normal clothes.

"What's the big deal?" Phoebe asked. "He seems really nice."

"He _is_ really nice." Belle said, hanging the dress up again and then stepping out, going over to the counter. Phoebe smiled knowingly.

"There's something between you two, isn't there?"

"Well, yeah." Belle admitted. "A while ago I told him I fancied him and he turned me down. I still liked him a little, despite the fact he humiliated me. I started going out with Harley and...I don't know. Remus got all jealous and overbearing and then he kissed me a few times—"

"He kissed you while you were dating another boy and after he rejected you?" Phoebe gasped, taking the dress from the employee and then walking out of the shop, arm in arm with Phoebe.

"Oh, Belle." Phoebe shook her head. "It's so obvious."

"What?"

"He's in love with you." Phoebe laughed. Belle shrugged.

"I already know that much." she replied. Phoebe stumbled.

"You what?" she asked. "How?"

"It was the same night I broke up with Harley. I was really upset and Remus was there for me, and as I was falling asleep, he said that he would always love me." Belle replied with a smile.

"Aww." Phoebe said, giving Belle a squeeze. "That's so cute. Does he know you know?"

"No." Belle grinned. "This year, things are going to be different. I'm dancing with the Royal London Ballet, the boy of my dreams in love with me and my brother is getting married to the most amazing girl on the planet."

Phoebe winked. "What could possibly go wrong?"


	23. Chapter 23

**A.N—Please read, review and ENJOY! **

**The song for the dance is 'Everything I Can't Have' by Robin Thicke and it's from Step Up 2. **

**Disclaimer—You're kidding me right?**

**OoOoO**

Chapter Twenty Three  
Teaching Tricks

Belle slid the last pin into Phoebe's hair and smiled at her in the mirror. "All done." she announced. Phoebe smiled, getting up and shaking her hands and laughing nervously, her breath hitching. Belle raised an eyebrow.

"Are you okay?" Belle asked. Phoebe nodded.

"Just pre-wedding jitters." Phoebe said and Belle sighed sceptically, but helped her into the gorgeous wedding dress that hung on the dresser. It suited Phoebe's perfect hourglass figure well, with a fitted bodice that clung to her like a second skin, and then flared out at the hips. It was decorated with pretty pearl swirls and lace. She wore a string of pearls around her neck, her only jewellery except for the small tiara that held her short veil in place. Belle readjusted one of the straps and then straightened the tiara before stepping back, a smile on her face.

"Perfect." Belle said, "You're officially ready to marry my brother."

"Ready to marry Toby." Phoebe repeated, almost dazed. Belle laughed lightly, handed Phoebe her bouquet and then made her way through the garden, stopping just round the hedge. Phoebe approached with her short and plump father. Belle shot her a thumbs up before taking a deep breath and proceeding down the aisle, humming to herself the entire way and ignoring the way a pair of amber eyes followed her every move.

**OoOoO**

She looked gorgeous in that blue dress, her honey blonde hair piled on top of her head and wearing hardly any makeup. Remus noticed that when she walked, she had this habit of stepping with her feet turned out. He smiled, wondering why, and making a mental note to ask her later.

He didn't really pay any attention to the ceremony. His attention was occupied on a certain witch with violet eyes, who was crying as she watched her brother get married to the love of his life. He hated to see her cry, even though it was with happiness.

Remus's mind soon wandered, fantasising about kissing her again. Suddenly he felt restless and was itching to touch her to be closer to her. Her skin was softer than silk, and his mind wandered in a direction that made him blush and squirm in his seat a little.

Finally the ceremony came to a close, and Remus got to his feet, relief overcoming him. He needed to walk this off, because he was having very unflattering thoughts about Belle that would make even McGonagall blush.

He walked the gardens for around an hour or so before plonking down at a table, quickly sneaking a glass of firewhisky off a tray and downing it. Belle came prancing over gracefully, smiling as she sat down. Remus loosened his tie and shrugged out of his jacket, relieved. He hated dressing up so formally, but for Belle, he would suck it up for one evening.

"Your brother looks really happy." Remus noticed, watching the way Toby gazed at Phoebe in adoration. Remus wondered if that's what he looked like when he was staring at Belle.

"He is. He grew up with Phoebe and one day, something between them changed. They've been together since they were fifteen." Belle said, "It was kinda weird when they got together though. I mean, they were best friends for so long. They hugged and stuff, so you can imagine how scarred I was when I walked in on them snogging."

Remus snorted with laughter. "That'd be emotionally damaging."

"I know!" Belle agreed with a grin. "But after a while, it just became normal to see them holding hands or sharing a kiss or whatever."

"So, how did they actually get together?"

"Well, Toby told me the story. He was watching her fix the car because she's into mechanics and stuff, and apparently there was grease on her chin, and when he wiped it off for her, something clicked. He described it as electricity, or getting hit by a stunner, but more pleasant than painful. So, he just grabbed her and kissed her full on the mouth." Belle smiled. "He expected her to hit him or something like that, but all she did was kiss him back. They've been inseparable since."

"That's quite romantic." Remus sighed, getting to his feet and holding out a hand to Belle. "C'mon."

"What?" she asked.

"We're going to dance." he smiled and she rolled her eyes, grinning anyway. She took his hand and he led her out onto the floor, just as the song changed. Belle smiled.

"So, are you going to teach me those dancing tricks you told me about?" she asked. Remus spun her in a circle and then pulled her close, moving to the music. She laughed.

"I didn't know you could salsa." Belle said looking impressed. Remus winked.

"There's a lot you don't know about me, Belle." he replied, dipping her low and making her giggle. They just made up their own steps, and Belle let Remus lead. She was glad to finally find someone who could keep up with her dancing. She liked to freestyle dance as much as she loved doing someone else's choreography. Remus was grinning right along with her, looking like he was having fun.

"Do you take dance lesson's or something?" he asked, "Because you're really good."

Belle's smile faltered a bit. "Um, no. My dad taught me." she lied. Remus frowned.

"Sorry." he said and Belle shrugged, turning sharply and then continuing the dance and Remus spun her outwards and then back in, drawing her leg up to his hip, a hand on her thigh and the other all the way around her waist. They were nose to nose, their breath intertwined and their gazes locked. The song came to an end and Belle took a step back, lowering her leg to the floor and blushing. Remus took her hand, kissing her knuckles.

"Thank you for the dance." he said, noticing that she was now very pink in the face.

"Not a problem." she said, sounding breathless. She slipped her hand out of his grasp, and slid both of them down her skirt nervously. She looked around. "Do you want to get out of here? Have some fun?"

Remus frowned. "What did you have in mind?" he asked. Belle bit her lip.

"There's a big oak tree about a mile from here. Meet me there in ten minutes." she said, grinning in a way that sent chills down Remus's spine. She darted off and he grinned, heading in the spot that she directed him. The night air was warm and slightly stuffy, but also soothing. He wondered what Belle was doing, and when he arrived at the tree, his sensitive hearing could pick up her heavy breathing and her slight laughter.

"Hey!" she said, sitting down at the base of the tree. She'd changed into ripped jeans, and a loose T-shirt, although she was still wearing her heels and had her hair up. She had a big bottle of firewhisky and a devilish smile. Remus sat down next to her as she opened the top and took a long swig. Remus watched her with wide eyes, surprised that such a quiet and private girl could be so...well, _wild_.

"Whoo!" she cried, handing the bottle to him and smiling.

"Aren't your brothers going to notice that you're missing?" Remus asked as he took a swig.

"No." she replied. "They're all probably too busy flirting with the bridesmaids or getting drunk somewhere."

"Any particular reason why _you_ want to get drunk?" he asked. Belle sighed.

"Because I want to forget." she replied heavily. "I want to forget about Harley and all the pain that he caused me. I want to forget that everyone else is happy and shagging like bunnies while I sit here, alone with my misery. For one night, I just want to get drunk, maybe do something stupid and...just forget."

Remus looked at her then and saw a different woman than ever before. She was not the nerdy little girl she had been, instead she was this incredible woman who wanted to be his drinking buddy for the night. Thoughts of the most unflattering kind were entering his mind and he swallowed, shifting a bit as the lower part of his body became very hot and flushed.

"I'll drink to that!" Remus agreed, toasting to her words before taking another drink hoping it would calm him down.

They sat under the stars, drinking down to the bottom and then enjoying their drunken bliss.

"You know, you are really hot." Belle giggled as she lay down on the grass. Remus snorted.

"You, my dear Belle, are drunk." he said with a grin. Apparently he could hold his liquor better than she could.

"So are you!" she laughed. He nodded.

"That...is very true." he agreed and she giggled again. "You know, tomorrow morning we won't remember anything."

"So?"

"So...that means I can tell you something I wouldn't if I was in a right state of mind." Remus said seriously and when Belle gave him a curious look, he grabbed her around the waist, rolling her onto the grass and then lying on top of her. Her hair had come out of it's knot and was now fanned out on the ground below her, looking like a halo of gold that shimmered in the moonlight.

"What are you going to tell me?" she asked, the giggly look gone and replaced by seriousness.

"That despite the fact that I rejected you, and despite the fact that I'm a total prat, I...I am in love with you, Belle Grey, and right now, I am very drunk, very in love and I want you very much. So, I was wondering if you'd like to spend the night with me?"

Belle gaped at him, her eyes wide. She heaved in a breath and rolled out from under him, getting to her feet. He cleared his throat.

"Sorry, Bells, that was out of line." he said but she walked in front of him, her hand extended. He looked up at her, confusion in his amber eyes.

"Let's go." was all she said. He jumped to his feet and took her hand. They disappeared with a CRACK. Belle appeared in a room with a big bed, a desk and dresser, as well as a bedside cabinet. The walls were plastered with Gryffindor posters and pictures of Remus with his friends. She smiled at the obvious brotherhood that was imprinted into those boys.

Remus disappeared for a moment and then came back with another bottle of firewhisky. Belle grinned and shoved her hands in her jeans. Remus set the bottle on the dresser before taking four cautious steps towards her before he stopped, looking down at her. He brought both of his hands up to cup her face in his palms, lowering his head to kiss her.

That's when the electricity sparked. It was a wonderful companion to the firewhisky they'd had and only made the kiss more heated. A small part of Belle's brain told her this was a bad idea, but the louder, more convincing part told her to seize this moment and to have some fun to finally give in.

Remus pulled back. "I guess I won't just be teaching you my dancing tricks." he grinned, his breathing heavy. Belle rolled her eyes.

"I've had sex before, Remus." she replied her words slightly slurred before kissing his neck and loosening his tie. He ran his hands down her side and then under her thighs, lifting her up. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as her legs went around his waist so that she was up a little higher than him. The he walked them over to the bed.

**OoOoO**

**A.N—WHOO! That was hot! Imagine if I actually wrote a lemon scene for you all :D Review and tell me what you think!**


	24. Chapter 24

**A.N—And now the dreaded morning after moment. What will happen now?**

**Disclaimer—Um, how about no?**

**OoOoO**

Chapter Twenty Four  
Simple as That

Remus rolled over, his head pounding and his stomach knotting painfully. He groaned and sat up, rubbing his eyes and running a hand through his tousled brown hair. He looked around the room and frowned. There were clothes everywhere, some of them weren't his, either. He remembered the wedding and Belle being his drinking buddy for a few hours, then...the rest of it was fuzzy.

He looked down and his eyes went wide, his chest rose and fell with every rapid breath and his heart picked up speed.

Belle was in his bed...and she was naked.

He swallowed thickly as he looked at her. She looked very peaceful in sleep. That stubborn strand of hair that always fell into her eyes was tucked behind her ear and she was lying on her stomach, her bare back exposed to his view. In fact, if the sheets slipped down any further, her arse would be in full view. Remus groaned as he realised that they must have had sex and from how deeply she was asleep it must have been exhausting. He couldn't help but smirk at that thought.

Ever so gently he pulled the sheets up around her, covering her a little better and then slipping out of bed himself, quietly pulling on his boxer shorts and padding from the room and downstairs into the kitchen.

His parents weren't home, something he was thankful for. He looked up at the clock that hung over the fireplace and saw it was nearly noon. His head was pounding and he searched in the cabinet above the sink for a hangover potion, downing it and instantly feeling relief. He filled a glass with water, downing it and refilling it four times before he actually felt better.

"Ouch." Remus groaned suddenly. His back ached and dashing into the bathroom, he saw that there was claw-like marks there, obviously from Belle's fingernails last night. Remus was slowly gaining his memory back, thanks to the potion and as he remembered every single detail, his grin grew. He didn't regret last night, not a bit. She had taught him a few things, and he'd been more than willing to be a good student. He had always been told he was a fast learner.

He headed back upstairs and slipped under the covers, running his fingers over her bare back lightly. Her skin was so soft and he didn't know what kind of perfume she wore, but he liked it immensely. She shifted in her sleep, turning over, her hands up by her head and her head tilted towards him. There was a small red mark on her neck and he couldn't help but let a flush of pride spark through him. Her eyes fluttered open and the piercing purple orbs bore into him, making him sigh.

"Morning." he murmured and she groaned.

"Shhh." she slurred sleepily. "No talking."

Remus chuckled and handed her a vial of blood red potion. She drank it and then rolled over again, smiling a bit.

"Better?" he asked and she nodded. He walked his fingers up her bare arm and she sat up abruptly.

"What time is it?" she asked, eyes wide.

"Around noon."

Belle swore and threw back the covers so violently that they landed over Remus's head. By the time he had disentangled himself, Belle had pulled on her jeans and her bra. She grabbed her shirt and shoes and turned around, sighing.

"Um..." she said. "Let's not speak about this, okay?"

Remus frowned. "Why not?"

"Don't think that this means anything." Belle said, sounding hesitant and a little bit scared. She'd obviously never down this before. "We were both lonely and drunk and—"

"Yeah." Remus said, his voice chilly. "I get it."

Belle bit her lip. "I'm sorry."

She disappeared with a CRACK and Remus fell back against the pillows in frustration. "Shit." he mumbled.

**OoOoO**

Lily opened the door to a rugged looking Belle and smiled. She hadn't seen Belle in nearly three weeks and this was an unexpected surprise. However, Lily's smile died when she took in the worried and confused look in Belle's startling purple eyes.

"You look a mess, Tink. What's happened?"

"I had sex with Remus last night." Belle said quickly, stepping into the house and running a hand through her hair. Lily's jaw dropped open and she shut the door, gaping at Belle.

"You what?" she asked. Belle opened her mouth helplessly, unable to form a coherent sentence. Lily grabbed Belle's wrist and dragged her upstairs and into her room, shutting the door then leaning against it.

"Start talking." Lily demanded and Belle did. She told Lily everything, well, everything that she remembered, right up until she ended up on Lily's doorstep. Belle had been pacing the whole time and when she was through with her story, her feet hurt and her throat was dry.

"Oh, my god." Lily said, sliding down the door and onto the floor, looking shocked. She was silent for a long while and then she asked with a sly smile, "So was it good?"

Belle blinked twice and then began laughing. "Of all the things you could have asked...that's what you come out with?" Belle asked between chuckles.

Lily shrugged, still smiling. "Yeah."

Belle nodded. "It was very good. Great even. All the rumours were true." she sighed. "It's funny because when I woke up, and I saw him there, all I want to do was go for round six."

"Six?" Lily asked dryly and Belle smiled weakly, falling back on the bed and putting her hands behind her head.

"What can I say, Lils? I'm a sex-goddess. He couldn't keep his hands off me."

"Oh yeah." Lily frowned. "Forgot that."

Belle and Lily laughed but quickly sobered.

"So...what do I do, Lils?" Belle asked and Lily frowned.

"Do you love him?"

Belle blinked thrice then nodded. "I do. That's probably a bad thing, though, isn't it? Because after all we've been through, after all the pain and rejection I—"

"Still love him." Lily smiled. "That's not ordinary love, Tink. No. That's true love and it only comes around once in a lifetime. If you want my advise, when you get a chance, kiss Remus, tell him how you feel and don't let him go."

**OoOoO**

Sirius, James and Peter gaped in equal astonishment at Remus as he told them his tale. When he was done, Sirius was the first to get up, go over and shake his hand.

"Moony, my friend, I salute you." Sirius said with a grin. "I mean, nearly six rounds? Merlin, that's gotta be some kind of record."

"But, what does this mean? Should I ask her out or...?" Remus asked watching as Sirius at down again. James frowned.

"Well, if you ask her out now, it'll look like you want to do the right thing, not that you really care about her." he said reasonably.

Sirius gave James a look that spoke volumes. "You're barmy." Sirius said, plopping back down onto the floor. "Didn't you hear him when Moony said he told Grey he loves her?"

"I don't think she remembers that though." Remus said, frowning. "There are parts of last night that _I_ don't even remember."

"So...what are you going to do?" Peter asked from his perch on top of the dresser. Remus slumped back against the pillows.

"I haven't the foggiest." he replied.

"Maybe you should shag again and then ask her out." Sirius suggested. "Or, you could ask her out and then shag her. Or you could ask her out while you shag her."

Remus glared. "I don't want to just shag her, Sirius." he smirked. "Although, let me tell you, I enjoyed that very much. But I want more that just that. I want _her_."

Sirius threw up his hands. "You're a lot cause, mate. It was nice knowing you! You've officially caught the Prongs disease."

James looked offended. "Excuse me?"

"You know, when you get hung up on a girl so bad that you fail to realise that there are many other fit young girls out there waiting to be...explored." Sirius winked on the last word and Remus rolled his eyes while Peter looked confused.

"And that's a bad thing? That we've forgotten?" James asked, looking a bit more than ticked off. "Seems to me, Padfoot, that even though you take a tumble with a different girl every few days, you don't realise that that sweat is going to dry and you're still going to feel like shit. And you want to know why? Because that sex is worthless. It's worthless because you're not doing it with someone you truly love, trust and respect. You're not doing it with Mary."

Silence met James's words and after a moment, Sirius got up, cleared his throat and left the room, Peter following soon after. Remus looked impressed.

"Wow." he whistled. "I've got to hand it to you, James, you've grown up."

James frowned. "Blame Evans. It's all her fault."

Remus chuckled. "So, what should I do?"

James sighed, taking his glasses off and rubbing them on his T-shirt before placing them back on his nose. "I think that the first chance you get, you should grab her, kiss her and tell her how you feel."

Remus sighed, ruffling his hair. "Simple as that, huh?"

"Simple as that."


	25. Chapter 25

**A.N—I decided to skip ahead in time, so please don't get confused or anything. I wrote this entirely differently, and I like it better this way. **

**Disclaimer—Nope.**

**OoOoO**

Chapter Twenty Five  
Clearing the Air

Belle stood on the platform ready to board the Hogwarts express, her trunk already on the train and her family already gone. Belle hadn't really spoken to Remus since their hook up on the night of her brothers wedding, which had been over a month ago now. That didn't mean that she hadn't thought about him, gone to bed every night with him on her mind, her very dreams haunted by his presence.

He'd sent her letters. Almost everyday since the wedding and she'd ignored them all. Half she hadn't even opened. She was just too ashamed of how she had acted to face him. She didn't remember everything that had happened on that night, but she was fairly sure that Remus had told her that he loved her. She was scared about what he would do when he saw her today, because she knew that without a doubt that he would come and find her no matter where she hid.

"Hey there, Tink." Lily chimed as she walked over to Belle, giving her a hug.

"How are you feeling?" Mary asked, her gorgeous face worried. Belle heaved in a nervous breath that rattled a little bit.

"Nervous. I don't know what to expect." she replied. Mary rubbed her shoulder supportively. James was suddenly there, his arm around Lily. She smiled up at him and raised up on her tip-toes to kiss him lightly. He blushed a bit and pushed his glasses up his nose.

"How are you, beautiful?"

"Oh, I'm great, thanks for asking, James." Mary gushed with a wink. Lily laughed and James gave her a hug.

"I missed you girls." he said honestly before turning to embrace Belle.

"Where is he?" she whispered, sounding terrified.

"He's coming with Sirius." he replied in a hushed tone, stepping back, his hand grabbing Lily's immediately. "You still have time to run for it, you know."

Belle nodded, noticing that her hands were shaking. "That makes me look like a coward, if I run."

James frowned at her in sympathy.

"PRONGS!" Sirius's bellow cut over the chatter of the families around them and suddenly she saw him shoving through the bodies blocking his path, Peter literally right behind him. Together they both broke into excited runs, stopping in front of the girls and James, who were all grinning at their antics. Following much more casually was Remus. Belle's breathing hitched as they locked eyes and he walked slowly and deliberately towards her.

Sirius picked her up in a bone crushing hug, winking at her before turning to Mary, whom he hugged, looking a little stiff and awkward as he did so. Belle hugged Peter then stood up straight as a fire poker as she watched Remus get closer and closer. He looked handsome as usual in a white singlet, a red flannel shirt on top which was open and flapping in the slight breeze. He wore black jeans and converses, his brown hair tousled perfectly. His expression remained calm and smooth, like a statue.

Belle took a breath and took a couple of steps forward. "Listen, I know that running out like that was totally stupid and I was acting like such a cheap slag but I just want you to know that—"

Remus kept walking straight at her, waving a dismissive hand as he said, "Peace, I will stop your mouth."

Belle only had a second to register the fact he'd quoted Shakespeare before he took her face in his hands, lowered his head and kissed her full on the mouth. The familiar spark ignited and she responded immediately, kissing him back and winding her arms around his shoulders, one of her hands twining in his hair. After a long moment he pulled back and put his forehead against hers.

"Go out with me?" Remus asked.

"Oh yeah." Belle replied with a grin. "Definitely."

Remus grinned hugely, winding his arms around her waist and spinning her around in a circle, kissing her more passionately than before.

"OI!"

Remus put her back on the floor and turned to see Sirius grimacing at them. Belle blushed bright red and hid her face in Remus's chest.

"Could you be any more disgusting? I mean, can you please just...just hold it in, or something?" Sirius asked weakly. Mary, James and Lily laughed while Sirius turned away, climbing onto the train while muttering things under his breath. The others soon followed, giving Remus and Belle some space to talk.

Remus chuckled and looked down at Belle, tipping her chin up to look into her eyes. "I'm so sorry for everything. I'm sorry I couldn't look past my nose and see the wonderful person that you are all those years ago. I'm sorry that I put you through so much hell and I'm sorry for the way I treated you at your brothers wedding. Truth is I don't just want your body, I want _you_. All of you. The good and the bad. If you can forgive me, I'll make it up to you in any way I can."

"I'll forgive you if you forgive me for running out on you like some cheap slut that night." she replied. Remus smiled at her softly, pressing a quick kiss to her lips before pulling her close.

"Nothing to forgive." he replied.

"Are we done with the apologies?" she asked. Remus laughed.

"Yeah, I think so. From now on, we tell each other everything." he said, meeting her gaze. "Agreed?"

Belle nodded, hesitating. "Agreed."


	26. Chapter 26

**A.N—Finally! REMUS AND BELLE ARE TOGETHER!**

**Disclaimer—I own nothing whatsoever. **

**OoOoO**

Chapter Twenty Six  
Principle.

Belle walked through the massive building, looking along the painted walls where pictures of past ballet productions and artworks hung. Young girls ran past her clad in pink tights and leotards, giggling and waving their tutu's around in triumph. She saw a few people that she recognised from the Academy and she waved to Mr Fitz, who smiled at her fondly and pointed to the left. Belle nodded in gratitude, heading in that direction and entering the room. It was perhaps the biggest rehearsal studio she'd ever seen. It was around the same size as the Great Hall at Hogwarts and a huge mirror was mounted along the span of the long wall. Barre's were littered around the room where the company dancers were warming up.

Ursula was speaking to a young man and woman, both of whom were clad in ballet attire. Ursula turned and let out an excited gasp, rushing forwards to embrace Belle like a long-lost friend. Belle was a bit surprised, but smiled at her.

"It's so good to see you, my dear girl. How was your summer?" Ursula asked, an arm around her as she led her to the couple. Belle hesitated.

"It was entertaining." she replied and Ursula smiled.

"May I introduce Eliza Diddle and Cooper Hamilton? They're very promising dancers here in the company and will be the other two leads in Paquita." Ursula said and Belle smiled at them.

Eliza looked at Ursula quickly. "This is Belle Grey? The girl who was the lead in Jonathan's ballet?"

"Yes, that's me." Belle said, looking worried, but that quickly vanished when Eliza grabbed her hand and began to shake it vigorously.

"You were absolutely amazing! I told Ursula if she didn't recruit you for the company then she was mad!" Eliza beamed and Belle grinned.

"Well, um, thank you." she replied. "I was flattered to be considered, let alone made a principle."

"How old are you, Belle?" Cooper asked, shaking her hand once Eliza let go.

"I'm seventeen." she replied. Eliza and Cooper exchanged looks. "What?"

"It's just...you dance with the skill and grace of someone with ten years of professional experience!" Cooper crowed and Belle blushed brilliantly. Ursula stepped in with a smile.

"Aright, that's enough. You two hurry on and warm up."

With very sad expressions, Eliza and Copper retreated, gabbing excitedly the entire way. Ursula chuckled.

"You're already famous and you haven't even been in a production yet." she said. Belle raised her eyebrows. "Oh yes, you're quite well known in the dancing world, Belle. Word got out about your astounding performance in Cinderella and Jonathan speaks very highly of you. I've already had phone calls from the American Ballet Company, the Paris Opera Ballet and the Australian Ballet Company asking if you were available for part time employment in their upcoming performances. I told them no, of course, due to your need to finish your education."

Belle gaped at Ursula in amazement. "I didn't know..."

"Of course you didn't." Ursula said. "Many people are claiming that you're the new Margot Fonteyn!"

Belle's jaw dropped. Margot Fonteyn was the greatest classical ballerina in the history of ballet. She was every young dancers idol, the ideal that every ballerina strove for. To be compared to her was...unimaginable.

Ursula smiled. "Now, off you go. Get warmed up and then we can begin."

Belle nodded, walking to the barre in a daze of shock and absolute delight. She broke in her new point shoes and stripped down to her new black leotard that had a low cut back with criss-crossing straps. Pulling her long honey blonde hair up into a bun, she stood next to the barre, happy.

"Alright, everybody, listen up!" Ursula called. The room fell silent and Ursula looked around. "Now, we only have nine months to get this production fully choreographed, cleaned up and perfect. Now, as all of you know, I've been searching for that perfect prima ballerina to play our Paquita and I've finally found her. Miss Belle Grey, ladies and gentleman, will play that role. Please make her feel welcome, as she's the youngest of you all and help her in any way that you can."

Belle bowed her head humbly at the praise and the attention.

"Now, let's get to work." Ursula called. There were many cheers from the other dancers and Belle took a deep breath, unable to wipe the smile off her face.

**OoOoO**

After the long lesson, Belle crept into her dorm, where Mary and Lily where already asleep. She'd never actually understood why they had a dorm to only the three of them, not that she was complaining. Lily preferred sleeping in Gryffindor Tower when James had the Marauders over in the Head dorms, doing Merlin knows what.

"You're back late." came Mary's soft voice. Belle jumped and whipped her wand out, only to stow it away.

"Mar-y!" Belle groaned. "Don't do that to me!"

Mary looked cross. "Where were you?"

"Um..." Belle said, thinking quickly and searching for a lie. Mary's anger seemed to grow.

"And don't even think about lying to me, Tink." Mary growled, throwing back the covers and padding across the floor with her arms crossed. "Where do you go all the time and why do you lie about it?"

Belle sighed helplessly and grabbed Mary's wrist, dragging her into the bathroom. She shut the door and sat down heavily on the bathroom. She pointed to her bag. "Open it." she said in a tired tone.

Mary frowned but did as she was bid and unzipped the top, where Belle's point shoes sat and her many leotards were folded. Mary looked up with a stunned expression on her face, her mouth a small 'o'.

"What in the name of Merlin?" she whispered. Belle flinched, sniffling.

"I know it's stupid and lame, but I've been training to be a ballerina for the last fourteen years of my life and in June...I got offered a place in the Royal London Ballet Company as a principle dancer. I'm seventeen too! The chances of that happening are one in a million, Mary, and it got offered to me! ME! Now I'm playing the lead role in this new ballet and apparently I'm the newest Margot Fonteyn, who is the greatest dancer in classical history! The worst part is that I can't tell anyone about it! I can't because I know that you'll all laugh at me and tease me and call me names, which is fine because you and Lily are my best friends in the whole world, but I don't want to be picked on because of doing what I love to do." Belle was breathing heavily by now and Mary's eyes and cheeks were wet with tears.

"I love dancing so much because it's who I am. It's a language that I understand and its a way of communication that doesn't require words. When I dance I'm not afraid to bare my soul because dancing is the _essence_ of my soul." Belle said, sounding close to tears. "I love it so much and it kills me not to be able to talk to anybody about it and I just..."

Mary stepped forward and embraced Belle tightly and she began to cry. "Tink, the fact that you're a dancer not only makes a lot of sense, but it also kind of completes my opinion of you. I've watched you walk and it looks kind of like you're floating. You're really well balanced and I watched you fight Remus last year in the DADA final and I saw that you were so flexible and strong. You have better abs than James, Sirius and Remus do!"

Belle laughed at that and pulled back. "So...you don't think it's lame?"

"No, of course not!" Mary gushed. "I think it's amazing! It takes a lot of discipline, determination and courage to do something like that. From what you've told me, all of that has paid off. You've got your dream!"

Belle smiled. "Thanks Mary. You have no idea how good it feels to have this off my chest." she sighed gratefully.

"I won't tell anyone, I promise." Mary said and then bit her lip. "Um..."

"What?" Belle asked.

"Does Lily know?" Mary asked. Belle shook her head. "You should tell her. You know that she'll figure it out eventually."

Belle bit her lip and rubbed her tired eyes. "Maybe. I'll think about it."

Mary sat down on the bathtub with her. "So...is that how you and Harley met?"

Belle nodded. "He was my partner." she replied. "He got accepted into the Paris Opera Ballet, but just as a first year company member. Nothing too major, nor too little."

Mary nodded. "I'm sorry about all that, by the way. I should have known something was up."

"It's nobody's fault but his." Belle said sharply. "Got it?"

Mary smiled and nodded. "Come on. It's late and you're about ten seconds away from sleeping in the bathtub."

Belle chuckled lightly, picking up her bag and stowing it under her bed before changing into her PJ's and then crawling into bed, falling asleep before her head hit the pillow.


	27. Chapter 27

**A.N—I am suffering major writers block at the moment, so I apologise if this totally sucks and I'm also so sorry about the wait. I know, I know, I suck, but lookout because there is a massive update coming your way! Please review! **

**Disclaimer—I own a BTR CD. Not Harry Potter.**

**OoOoO**

Chapter Twenty Seven  
So It's True

Walking into the Great Hall hand in hand with Remus was the greatest feeling that Belle had ever experienced. A lot of eyes turned to watch and even stare, but she didn't care. She was with him, the man of her dreams, the sun was shining, her family was happy and she had good friends.

Life was grand and nothing was going to ruin that for her.

They sat down with the others, Sirius and Peter stuffing their faces while Mary read a magazine and James and Lily cuddled as they ate, in a world all of their own.

"Morning all." Remus chirped.

"Hey Moony." James smiled. "You're in a good mood."

Remus jerked his head to the side, where Belle was pouring some cereal. "Can you blame me?"

"Ugh." Sirius groaned, throwing down his fork. "I think I may vomit."

"So, can I have that?" Peter asked, pointing to the sausage on Sirius's plate. He nodded and Peter snatched it away, gobbling it down greedily.

"When you fall in love for the first time, Sirius, you'll understand." Mary said, not looking up from her magazine. Belle passed Remus a cup of tea and he kissed her cheek.

"Who says that I haven't been in love?" Sirius asked, leaning forward on his elbows. Everyone looked round at him, eyes wide and shocked. Mary looked up.

"Oh? Pray tell, who is this mysterious girl?" she asked with a slight smirk as she gulped down some of her tea. Sirius winked at her.

"Now, what's in it for you? Why do you even care? Jealous, McDonald?" he asked. Belle met Remus's gaze and they had a silent conversation, seeing right through Sirius's façade. Mary rolled her eyes and snorted.

"In your dreams, Black." she replied, looking back down at her magazine, her cheeks more than a little pink. Sirius smirked and got up, slinging his bag over his shoulder just as Stefan came walking down the Great Hall, blinking once when he saw how close James and Lily were sitting before sitting down in Sirius's vacant seat.

"So, when did you two get together?" he asked James and Lily. They'd decided to keep their relationship on the down low for a while, but it seemed that now they didn't care what people said.

"Last semester." Lily said, sounding guilty. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you—"

"Hey, it's okay." Stefan smiled. "You two are happy and that's all that matters."

"Thanks Stefan." Lily said. He turned around to face Belle and frowned.

"Seriously? You couldn't give me a little heads up? Two of my best girls are now taken? What the hell is this shit?!" he cried, grinning. They all laughed and Remus kissed Belle's hair and Lily gave James a kiss, which he responded to happily. They both sat there, smiling as they kissed, looking so happy it was obvious that this was true love.

"So, it is true."

They all looked around at Severus Snape, who wasn't scowling or glaring or even sneering. He looked a little...disappointed, actually. Lily stopped the kiss, turning around to face her former best friend, her happy smile fading. James draped his arm around Lily's shoulders. From the way the two were squaring off, Belle was strongly reminded of two male wolves trying to establish their place as Alpha.

"What do you want, Snivellus?" James snapped and Lily shot him a look. He ignored it.

"To see if the rumours are true. Really, Evans I thought you would have had a bit more taste in men." Snape said, shooting a dirty look at James, who half rose from his seat until Stefan pulled him back down.

"If you have nothing nice to say, then get lost, Snape, before I curse you." Stefan growled. Snape sniffed and turned around, walking away. Belle reached across the table and covered Lily's hand with her own.

"Are you okay?" she whispered. Lily half shrugged, a sad smile on her face.

"Don't listen to him, flower." James murmured to her, making Lily smile at the endearment. "He's just jealous that the prettiest girl in Hogwarts is mine."

"You'll have to allow me to disagree on who the prettiest girl is, Prongs." Remus grinned, smiling at Belle.

"Yes, yes, they're both gorgeous." Mary half-sighed, half-snapped. "Can we go to class now?"

The six of them blinked twice in unison as they watched Mary get up, sling her bag over her shoulder and stomp from the Great Hall.

"What's eating her?" Peter asked, his mouth half full.

"That's disgusting, Peter." Remus stated plainly. He shrugged and continued eating.

Lily looked at Belle meaningfully. "I think I know what's wrong."

Belle stared at Lily for a moment before her mouth dropped open. "No!"

"Yes!" Lily said, raising her glass to her lips.

"But he's—"

"That's why she's perfect for him." Lily stated.

"But he doesn't—"

"Yes he does. It's plain as the nose on his face."

James and Remus watched this interaction for a moment before turning to Stefan, who shrugged.

"You get used to it after a few months." he told them. "They do this all the time."

"Any idea what language they're speaking?" James asked. Remus shrugged helplessly.

"Don't look at me, mate. I'm as in the dark about this as you are."

**OoOoO**

Lily and Belle dragged Mary down the corridor, knocking down several second years and sending poor Professor Flitwick's neatly stacked paperwork flying. Mary struggled and protested the entire way, screaming to the surrounding students that she was being kidnapped and making as much noise as was ridiculously possible.

Only when the girls arrived in an empty classroom on the fourth floor did they let Mary go. They turned to her, wearing identical cat-ate-the-canary smiles and their arms crossed over their chests, looking incredibly smug.

"Okay. First, what the hell?" Mary asked. "Why did you drag me up here?"

"Cut the crap, Mary, we've figured it out. We've been watching you all week. Admit it!"

"Admit what? _I have no idea what you are talking about!_" Mary stressed the last sentence. Belle walked over to sit on a dusty table and Lily leaned back against the teachers desk.

"You fancy Sirius Black." Lily stated while Belle inspected her nails.

Mary blinked three times before her jaw dropped open. She stared at her two best friends for a moment, completely gobsmacked.

"You think I fancy Sirius?" she asked.

"We don't think, we _know_." Lily clarified. Mary started laughing nervously.

"Right. Well...thank you for those words of utter rubbish." she said. "Now if you'll excuse me, my lunch is waiting for me."

"Mary." Belle said, giving Mary the same look she'd worn when she'd confronted Belle that night when she had come back from ballet class. "Come on."

Mary sighed and dropped her bag, sinking into a chair. "Okay, okay. I fancy the pants off him."

Lily clapped her hands and whooped. "I knew it!"

Belle rolled her eyes. "So why don't you tell him?"

Mary raised her eyebrows. "You're kidding right?" she asked then turned to Lily, "She's kidding right?"

Lily shook her head sadly.

"I can't just tell him. He's Sirius _freaking_ Black!" Mary cried, getting up and beginning to pace. "He's got girls falling at his feet every day, begging for attention. Why would he want me, when he can have them? Besides, he's a guy and hates long term commitment."

"Well, you won't know until you've tried." Belle said.

"And if you don't try, you'll feel even worse because one day you'll look back and wonder, _what if_?" Lily continued, tossing her vibrant red hair over her shoulder. Mary sighed, rubbing her eyes.

"Well, thanks for the advise and the talk, but I think I'll just wait for it to go away."

"You can't just wait for feelings to go away." Lily snorted. "Trust me, I've tried. They only get stronger."

"So, you can't tell him, you can't wait for your feelings to go away and you can't go carrying this attraction around because you'll explode." Belle listed before she shrugged. "Seems to me the best thing you can do is hope for the best."

"And the best would be?" she asked, sounding helpless.

Belle smiled. "That he returns your feelings."


	28. Chapter 28

**A.N—Will Mary and Sirius get together? Hmmm.  
So, I got a PM yesterday from a reader on this story ( I won't name you but you know who you are) who has dubbed me "The Queen of OC's." I had a bit of a heart attack at that and I'm very flattered. So thank you! :D **

**Disclaimer—I own nothing but the ideas.**

**OoOoO**

Chapter Twenty Eight  
Revealing More and More

Belle sat with Remus in his deserted dorm room, giggling as he told her a story about when he was younger. They'd stayed true to their promise of not keeping anything from the other, except for their biggest secrets, which they avoided at all costs. Mary hadn't told anybody about Belle's secret career, something she was grateful for, but she couldn't help but wonder how much longer she could keep it up.

"This strand of hair always falls into your eyes. It annoys the crap out of me, but it gives me an excuse to touch your hair." he murmured, tucking the lock of gold behind her ear, only to have it fall back round her face. That lock of hair pissed her off, especially when she had to use extra hairspray and bobby pins to push it back for ballet class.

Belle giggled though, putting her head in the crook of his neck and sighing contentedly. Her legs were draped over his lap and he had an arm around her.

"Tell me another story." she said and Remus thought for a moment.

"When I was a little boy, I climbed up the tree in our backyard. It was so high it grew way above the roof of our house. I climbed to the very top and I was so pleased with myself I let go. The tree was right next to the fence, and I fell over it and into the neighbours pool. When I got out of the pool, I found that the next door neighbour's daughter was having her friends over and so I had about twelve half-naked girls screaming at me and calling me a perverted little kid who should be locked away. They didn't know I'd fallen nearly thirty feet into a pool, they thought I'd been spying on them! My dad was furious."

Belle laughed. "What about your mum? What did she say?"

Remus's smile died. "She left when I was about eight years old. I haven't heard from her since. Me and dad don't like talking about her."

Belle sat with her mouth slightly open. "I'm so sorry."

He met her gaze and shrugged. "I don't really remember her all that much." he said, although the hurt was clear in his voice. Belle kissed his cheek and shuffled closer, hugging him tightly.

Belle looked at the clock and groaned. "I have to go."

"Go where?" Remus asked, winding his arms around her more tightly, refusing to let her leave.

"I have extra lessons with McGonagall." she spouted the usual cover up for her ballet classes. Remus raised an eyebrow.

"If you're having trouble in transfiguration, I can tutor you if you'd like. Or I could ask James to, he's the best in the year level."

Belle smiled and slid out from his grasp and off the bed, pulling her combat boots on. "Thanks, but I think I'll stick with McGonagall. She kind of grows on you after a while."

Remus sighed. "If you're sure."

Belle nodded, kissing him quickly. "I am. I'll be back later."

Remus grinned cheekily. "You're going to sneak into my dorm? My, my. You're such a bad Gryffindor, aren't you?"

She poked her tongue out as she walked towards the door, yanking it open. "Just for that, I'm not coming back at all. You're sleeping alone tonight."

Remus backtracked quickly, "But—"

The door closed and Remus groaned. "Damn."

Lily and James were walking hand in hand doing their rounds, their wands out and ready for anything. It wasn't the most romantic date, but it would have to do for now.

Lily looked up at him and caught him staring. He didn't even have the decency to look away or blush. She squirmed self-consciously.

"What?" she asked. James shrugged.

"You're just the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, that's all."

Lily blinked and blushed. "Oh."

James chuckled. "Take a compliment, Evans."

"I thought we stopped with the last name thing." she stated with a grin, stopping and turning to face him. James looked at her like she was mad.

"Are you kidding?" he asked, letting go of her hand and putting his hands on her waist, pulling her right up against him. "I kinda of like it." he murmured, lowering his head. "It's sexy."

Lily giggled and kissed him, letting him walk her backwards until her back hit the wall. They lost themselves in each other, acknowledging nothing else but the kiss that they shared. The same kiss that took the breath from their bodies and made their spines tingle.

"Oh. Um. Sorry."

They broke apart with much reluctance and looked around to see Belle standing there, wearing a green turtle neck sweater, a denim miniskirt and unlaced combat boots. She was biting her lip and looked like she was trying not to laugh, clutching at a gym bag that was hanging near her hip.

"Belle. What are you doing out after curfew?" James asked sounding annoyed. Belle's lip twitched.

"I could ask you the same thing, but I think I know the answer." she said, looking past him at Lily. "We will be having a discussion later, Miss Lily."

Lily rolled her eyes and James fought the urge to laugh. "You didn't answer my question." James pointed out.

Belle hesitated. "I've been taking extra lessons with McGonagall. She kept me in overtime. You know how she gets."

James and Lily exchanged glances.

"But I guess I'll be going." she said. "You two carry on."

She walked past them, rubbing her arms as she went and only when she was out of sight did Lily allow herself to frown.

"You get a wrinkle right here when you frown, you know." James pointed out simply, pointing to a spot on her forehead.

"She just lied to us." she said. James blinked.

"Sorry?"

"Belle. She just lied to us about where she's been."

James's expression turned serious. "How do you know?"

"She's been my best friend for nearly eight years. Trust me, I know." Lily said, crossing her arms and starting to pace. "She'd only lie to hide something from me, and if she'd hiding something it's either really bad, or very very bad."

James raised an eyebrow. "There's a difference?"

Lily didn't dignify him with an answer, she simply continued to pace back and forth, deep in her own thoughts.

"Oh! I got it!" James said, snapping his fingers. "She's cheating on Remus!"

Lily scowled. "She's not that kind of girl, James."

He shrugged helplessly. "Well, why else would a seventh year Gryffindor girl be wandering the halls at eleven o'clock on a Friday night?"

Lily frowned. "Not sure. But I'm going to find out. I'll ask Mary, see if she knows anything."

James nodded and walked forward, grabbing her round the waist and kissing her neck. She sighed and practically melted in his arms.

"Relax." he murmured against her skin. "It'll turn out alright, you'll see."

Lily hummed. "I hope so."

"Besides, Belle's too much of a prude to cheat on Remus anyway."

"She's not a prude. I could tell you stories about her sex life, James." She said with a grin. James shuddered.

"I'd rather not know." he said but then he grinned cheekily. "_Your_ sex life, though, I'm very interested in learning about."

She smacked him on the arm playfully and strode away from her. "You wish, Potter."


	29. Chapter 29

**A.N—Thanks for all the love. A couple more chapters in this round of updating. **

**Disclaimer—I don't own it.**

**OoOoO**

Chapter Twenty Nine  
The Map

Lily didn't learn anything new from Mary. She'd spent the better part of an hour trying to get information out of the blonde girl, all for nothing. Lily knew that James was asking Remus and Stefan as to where Belle goes every Tuesday, Friday and Saturday night. Lily had also noticed that she disappeared on Wednesday mornings for the first half of the day as well.

"I just don't understand." Lily muttered, to the fireplace. "Where could she be going? It's killing me!"

Sirius leaned forward. "What if I told you that there is a way for us to track her?"

Lily looked up, her green eyes bright and her expression intrigued. "Is there a way?"

Sirius winked, raising his bottle of butterbeer. Lily looked at James who looked slightly guilty. He grabbed her hand and dragged her from the common room, Sirius in tow, half walking half strutting. After a while, James stopped, scanned the corridor and then took out a piece of parchment, handing it to Lily.

"And this is...?"

"The secret to our pranking success. Be warned, Evans, that if you tell anybody about this, we will make you pay in embarrassing, excruciating ways." Sirius said casually, downing the rest of his butterbeer and then throwing the bottle out the window with a shrug. Lily raised and eyebrow and looked at James, who drew his wand, cast another glance around before tapping the parchment and muttering something under his breath.

Ink appeared on the map, spreading like a spider across the parchment and forming lines, words and dots.

"_Messrs Moony Wormtail Padfoot and Prongs_?" She read with a raised eyebrow. James shrugged. Lily's eyes continued to widen in surprise as she realised that it was map, a map of everybody in Hogwarts.

"Where did you get this?" she asked in awe, turning the flaps up and drinking in all the knowledge stored there.

"Made it." Sirius told her. She smirked.

"Shut up."

"No, really. Moony, a.k.a Remus did all the research, Sirius did the charms and I transfigured the parchment into a map. Took us the better part of a year to get it just right, but it was so worth it." James said proudly. Lily smiled.

"So this shows everything and everyone in Hogwarts?" she asked.

"Yup." Sirius said, popping the P. "It'll tell us where Belle is at the moment."

They all crowded around, searching the map carefully. Lily frowned after twenty minutes and lowered the map.

"I don't see her." Lily said. Sirius took the map from her.

"If she's not on the map then she's not in Hogwarts grounds." Sirius said thoughtfully, "And the only way out of this castle is through the passageways and she doesn't know about those, does she?"

"No." Lily said, crossing her arms and staring out the window. "Belle, where are you?"

**OoOoO**

Belle crept into her dorm, throwing her bag down and collapsing on her bed. Mary was still awake, but Lily was in the head dorm, so Belle was safe. Mary looked up and smiled.

"Hey. How'd it go?"

"I'm exhausted." Belle said, kicking off her shoes and looking at Mary, who was upside down in her vision. "It was amazing."

"What's it like?" Mary asked.

"Unreal." Belle said, "Like a different brand of magic."

Mary smiled. "You obviously love it."

"I do." she replied, getting up. "But right now all I want is a shower."

Mary giggled and waved her off, looking back down at her magazine. "You know, Lily was asking me about where it is you go off to."

Belle walked past the door. "She did?"

"Yeah." Mary said, "And James was asking Remus, asking if he knew. They're all getting very suspicious, Tink. I think you may need to come up with a different cover story. It's only a matter of time before they go to McGonagall to verify your story."

Belle stopped in the doorway, only in her underwear and brushing her hair, looking troubled. "She won't cover for me. Only Dumbledore knows about my classes."

"Maybe you should have said that you were taking classes with Dumbledore." Mary suggested. Belle shook her head.

"And when they ask what he's been teaching me? What do I say then?" she asked and Mary rubbed her forehead.

"Well, I'll cover for you, but you'll have to tell them eventually." she said and Belle stretched.

"I know." she said.

"Okay, as long as you know." Mary sighed.


	30. Chapter 30

**A.N—I know there hasn't been much romance between Remus and Belle, lately, so here you are. ENJOY!**

**Disclaimer—I don't own anything except the plot.**

**OoOoO**

Chapter Thirty  
Hide and Seek

Remus muttered under his breath, trying to find Belle. It was Sunday and the Christmas holidays and they'd both finished their homework, so Belle had suggested that they play a game. She'd been hiding for about an hour now and after forty five minutes, Remus had resorted to getting the map.

"Found you!" he grinned, locating her dot on the second floor, hiding behind the portrait of the witch with red hair and wooden teeth. He raced off in that direction, taking three shortcuts to get there. Moving silently, he got a grip on the portrait, the wrenched it to the side, revealing Belle, wearing her normal attire or jeans, a jumper and combat boots. She squealed a little, jumping and then putting a hand over her heart. Remus leaned against the door frame to the secret hatch and watched her get over her mini-heart attack with a smug grin on his face.

"How did you find me so quickly?" Belle asked, "This castle is huge."

"Animal magnetism. I could sense where you were." he smirked, and the witch in the portrait let out a little cough. "Sorry."

"That's quite alright, but if you are going to begin acting atrociously, I would please ask you to leave." she said snottily and Belle pressed her lips together to smother a laugh. Remus jerked his head to the right and she stepped out and waved at the lady, who simply turned her nose up at her.

"She's mean." Belle stated, flicking her hair over her shoulder. "Do you know how long it took for me to convince her to let me hide behind her portrait? Fifteen minutes. She's such a spoilt little brat."

Remus laughed and she swatted him on the arm. "It's not funny!" she protested, making him laugh harder. She rolled her eyes and took off down the corridor, leaving him far behind her. Remus swore, astounded by how such a little thing could run that fast. She weaved amongst the students who were just hanging about and she seemed to disappear, but Remus could smell her perfume and he followed her up the stairs, down the corridor and to a broom closet, where he could hear her breathing heavily from her run and from laughing. He opened the door and stepped inside, closing the door behind him.

Remus instantly pinned her to the wall. He tried to kiss her, but in the dark missed her lips and got her cheek instead. He decided to make this work in his advantage and kissed along her jaw hungrily, the scent of her perfume filling his nose and intoxicating him. He planted kisses down her neck and her collarbone and he vaguely heard her sharp intakes of breath when he began to bite and suck on a spot on her neck.

One of her hands was pressing against his back while the other combed through his hair. His hands were splayed along either side of her waist, his fingers playing with the hem of her shirt. Something brushed the side of his thigh and he stopped his ministrations for a moment until he realised that it was her leg. She'd drawn it up the side of his own in a very sexy way that made his mouth go dry.

She used this distraction to pull his mouth down to her and kiss him thoroughly, tongue and all. He hands lifted his jumper and shirt up his chest and they broke the kiss to get it over Remus's head and when it was off, Belle tossed it aside before kissing him again, quickly moving onto his neck and collarbone.

Remus pushed her back against the wall and put some distance between them.

"What?" she asked and Remus flicked his wand and pool of flames sat in his hands before rising to float above them. Remus pointed at her shirt.

"I want it off." he stated simply. Belle raised her eyebrows a fraction in surprise but reached down and pulled her jumper and then her blouse off. Remus visibly swallowed.

"Better?" she asked, sounding a little smug.

"Yes. Much." he said, running his hands up and down her back as she lay feather light kisses along his collarbone, "I like your abs, by the way."

She laughed. "Thanks. Although, yours are much more impressive." Belle winked. Remus rolled his eyes and reached down, picking her up so her legs were wrapped around his waist.

Belle giggled. "What game are we playing now?" she asked. Remus groaned. "What?"

"You have no idea what it is you do to me." he muttered. "You drive me insane. I will never get enough of you."

Belle was silent for a moment. "You mean, you'll never get sick of having sex with me." she stated, her tone chilly.

"Yes and no. The sex is great, but doing stuff like this, being able to kiss you and touch you and talk with you, without being drunk is better than anything in the world. As long as I have you, I don't need anything else."

Belle looked at him for a long moment and he met her gaze unflinchingly.

"You never told me if you felt the same way." he said, his eyes brighter than she'd ever seen them. "The night we first slept together.

"I told you I loved you two years ago." she smiled. "I never said I stopped."

Remus kissed her sweetly then and let her slide to the floor gently before stepping away. She pouted.

"What's wrong?" she asked as she watched him bend down and pick up something before handing it to her; the Marauder's Map. "So that's how you found me so quickly!"

Remus winked.

"That's cheating!" she cried. Remus chuckled and bent his head lower.

"I'll make it up to you.

**OoOoO**

"You two are so smitten it's actually sickening." Sirius stated plainly as he sat down with Remus and Belle, who were sharing a large slice of cherry pie.

"If you got yourself a decent girlfriend, Padfoot, you wouldn't be complaining." Remus replied as he lunged at Belle's loaded spoon of pie and ate it.

"I've had girlfriends." Sirius protested.

"I know you have." Remus replied as he gave Belle the last bit of the pie. "That's why I put _decent_ in my previous sentence."

"Mate, even if I wanted a serious relationship, what girl would go out with me, on a _real_ date? All the chicks want here is a good shag. Present company excluded." Sirius added with a smile to Belle who smiled back.

"Thanks Sirius." she said, "But I can think of a girl who would be interested in dating you for real."

Sirius sat up straighter. He had the look of a man who wanted something so desperately he would do anything, say anything, promise anything to get it. "Who?"

Belle smirked. "Not telling."

Sirius groaned and put his head on the table in extreme disappointment. "You're so annoying! Moony why are you dating this girl?"

"Because she annoys you." Remus replied, kissing her on the cheek and whispering in her ear, "And because you're incredible."

She giggled, taking pity on Sirius after a while. "Why don't you ask Mary?"

Sirius looked up, squinting at her. "Mary?"

"Yeah." Belle said. "You've known her for ever and she's a sweet, caring girl. Besides, we both know that she won't stand for or put up with any of your usual bullshit because she's too decent for it. Therefore, she's perfect."

Sirius stared at her for a moment before sitting up straighter, gazing into the distance, obviously thinking about Mary. Suddenly he sprang to his feet, grabbed a piece of chocolate from the massive pile there and sprinted out of the Great Hall.

Belle shrugged and poured herself a mug of hot chocolate while Remus gaped at her. "How do you do that?" he asked.

"Do what?" she replied.

"Wrap every male of the human species around your little finger." he replied as they got up. Belle carrying her cup gingerly, careful not to spill any as they walked back to the common room, laughing. Lily came down from the dorm room and stormed over to them, her face red and very surprised.

"Okay, take my advise and don't go up there." she said. "I'm staying in the Heads dorm with James. Goodnight."

"What's going on?" Belle asked as Lily walked past them.

"Sirius asked Mary out and now they're celebrating. I swear, all anybody does nowadays is shag like bunnies." she muttered the last bit to herself as she walked from the common room.

Belle raised her eyebrows and sighed. "Can I stay in your dorm tonight?" she asked. Remus winked.

"You realise we'll be all alone up here." he said as they climbed the stairs.

"I know."

"Stefan went home to see his family."

"I know."

"Peter did too."

"Mmm hm."

"And James is in the Head dorm with Lily."

"Remus!" she cried and he shut up. "I know. Which is why I'm going to sleep in James's bed."

Remus's jaw dropped and she walked away. He stood there stunned before he ran after her.

"You're kidding, right?!" he shouted after her.


	31. Chapter 31

**A.N—I was watching TANGLED while I was writing this. :) I love that movie.**

**Disclaimer—I don't own anything.**

**OoOoO**

Chapter Thirty One  
Stefan's Secret.

Belle walked through the snow covered village, her purple velvet cloak around her shoulders and keeping the blistering cold out. Lily was beside her, wearing the pretty blue cloak that James had given her for Christmas. They walked down the street arm in arm, chatting and giggling.

Mary and Sirius were up at the castle, having some alone time. Turns out that they hadn't actually been shagging in the dorm room, but merely snogging. Mary was determined to keep Sirius interested in her for as long as possible.

"So, where is it Stefan is meeting us?" Belle asked.

"Three Broomsticks." Lily said, opening the door and stamping her feet to shake the snow off her boots. Stefan was sitting in a booth near the back, three butterbeers on the table in front of him. He smiled as the girls slid into the booth.

"How are you?" he asked. "Good Christmas?"

"Eventful, as usual." Lily sighed. "Sirius decided to spike the punch at the party in the Gryffindor common room."

"I thought that he was dating Mary."

"He is." Belle smirked. "That doesn't mean that she can reign him in completely."

Stefan laughed, taking a gulp from his drink.

"But in his defence, he's smartened up quite a bit." Lily said. "He's stopped pranking as often and he's managed to keep his hands to himself mostly."

Stefan grimaced. "Ugh. Three of the four Marauders have girlfriends, three of which are my friends. This is not going to be fun."

"Not everything is about you, Stefan." Lily said. "Besides, you're the one who wanted to meet us. You said you had something important to tell us. So spill."

Belle noticed that Stefan was shifting in his seat, looking around nervously to make sure that nobody could overhear them. His hands were shaking around the rim of his glass and he took a deep rattling breath.

"Stefan, whatever it is, tell us." Belle urged gently, taking his hand across the table. "We won't judge."

He let out a bitter laugh, like he didn't believe her. "After you and I broke up, Lily, I started to question what kind of man I was. After a while I noticed something about my attitude had changed."

"How do you mean?" Lily asked with a frown. Stefan licked his lips.

"Over the summer I found out that I'm...I'm..."

"You're what?" Belle asked softly.

"Gay." he choked out. "I'm gay."

Belle blinked at looked at Lily, who had a funny expression on her face, but didn't seem all that surprised.

"That's it?" Lily asked.

Stefan looked up, angry. "What do you mean, 'That's it?'" he demanded.

"Is that all you wanted to tell us? That you're gay?" Lily asked and Stefan hushed her loudly. Belle shook her head.

"Lily, in the Muggle world being homosexual is looked down upon, but in the wizard world...to some people, mainly the purebloods...well...it's almost as bad as being muggleborn." Belle explained. Lily bit her lip. "If anybody found out about Stefan—"

"I'd be dead." Stefan said. "the Death Eaters would be after my blood. You can't tell anybody."

"We won't." the girls promised.

"But why did you wait this long to tell us? You said that you knew back in summer. It's January now."

"At first I thought that it was heatstroke and that I was just coming down with a fever and that all those thoughts and feelings would go away if I ignored them. But they didn't. They just got stronger and no matter how hard I tried to suppress it..." Stefan ran a hand through his hair.

"Hey." Belle said, "No judgements, remember?"

He smiled weakly. "Thanks girls. You're the best."

Lily tossed her red hair, which was curled in shiny ringlets today. "Oh, I know darling."

Belle, Stefan and Lilt broke down into loud laughter, ignoring the stares from other people in the pub.


	32. Chapter 32

**A.N—Putting some fluff in here now because I can. :) ENJOY!**

**Disclaimer—I own a Nokia Lumia phone, not Harry Potter**

**OoOoO**

Chapter Thirty Two  
Baby Makes Three

Belle lowered the letter from Toby with a smile, happy for her brother and her sister-in-law. With Phoebe pregnant, her mother may just stop moping about the house so much, complaining about how the twins and Adrian aren't married yet. If it was up to Mrs Grey, Belle would have been married with a dozen children a long time ago.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" Remus asked, sitting down next to her and planting a kiss on her cheek. James sat down next to Lily and Sirius pulled Mary into his lap, while Peter and Stefan sat alone awkwardly.

"Phoebe's pregnant." she replied, handing him the letter. He smiled as he read it while Belle played with his hair.

"Who's Phoebe?" Sirius asked.

"My sister in law." Belle replied before she groaned. "Ugh."

"What?" James asked. Lily and Mary both started laughing. "I don't get it."

"My mother is one of those pureblood women who is obsessed with marrying her children off. You should have seen how excited she was when Toby said he'd proposed." Belle said, putting her head on Remus's shoulder. "Now she's going to get on my case about everything."

"Everything?" Peter asked with a confused look.

"You know, marriage, children, all that bullshit." Belle said, seizing the letter from Remus who was biting his lip to stop a smile.

"Have you even told your mum we're dating?" Remus asked. Belle gazed at him, her violet eyes wide.

"Are you mental?"

Remus raised his eyebrows. "I don't think so." he replied seriously.

Belle shook her head and went back to reading her letter. Lily was teaching James how to play rock, paper, scissors, something that James was delighted in. Although Belle didn't know whether it was because of the game or the fact it was Lily teaching him. Mary and Sirius were talking in quiet whispers and Stefan was talking to Remus about their Charms homework.

Belle glanced at Remus's watch before swearing and jumping to her feet. "I'm late! Shit! I'm so dead!"

"I don't think I've ever heard you swear before." James said, clearly surprised. Belle ignored him as she raced up the stairs to her dormitory, reappearing a moment later with a gym bag and trying her hair back hastily. She kissed Remus quickly and waved to the others before racing out of the common room, leaving seven very confused people behind her.

"What is going on with her lately?" Sirius asked. "I mean, one minute she's here, the next she isn't... Moony, mate, you need to keep her on a tighter leash."

"She's not a dog, Padfoot." Remus snapped. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"You know what I mean."

Lily was frowning. "She's always got that gym bag with her as well. I reckon if we look inside it we'll find out what she's been hiding."

Mary bit her lip and slipped from Sirius's lap, looking concerned. "Look, I know that you're all worried and suspicious about where Belle goes off to, but don't you think that talking about her behind her back like this is a bad thing? I mean, what if she finds out that you suspect her of doing something? She'll be so hurt."

"Mary, why would she want to hide something from us?" Remus asked calmly.

Mary shrugged. "Maybe she's scared."

"Of what? We're not going to judge her!" James stated.

Mary said nothing, simply letting Sirius twirl her long blonde hair around his fingers. "All I'm saying is, be careful, okay?"

Remus sat back against the couch, lost in his own thoughts. If Belle was keeping secrets from him, then she had already broken her promise to him. They'd only been dating for four months and she'd already broken his trust. But, in her defence, he hadn't exactly been open with her either. She still didn't know about his lycanthropy and frankly he was too scared to tell her. She already knew that he had scars all over his body because she'd seen all of them, and although she'd asked where he'd gotten them, he'd simply told her in an accident.

He hated lying to her.

**OoOoO**

A week had passed since Belle had mysteriously ran from the common room, leaving Remus to his very morbid thoughts. Remus tapped his foot, waiting for Belle outside her class. He'd just come from a spare and she was in Arithmancy with Lily. He'd made up his mind to tell her. All the secrets and the lying was doing his head in so he was going to tell her that he was a werewolf and in return, she would tell him whatever she was hiding.

The bell rang and Remus jumped slightly. As the corridors began to fill with students, Remus ran a hand through his brown hair, sighing. Many of the younger girls stopped to stare and giggle at him as he waited.

Belle emerged from the classroom with Lily, both of them looking tired and a little bored. However, when Belle caught sight of him leaning against the wall, her eyes lit up and her posture changed. She walked over to him and fell into his arms as easily as breathing. He held her close, kissing her forehead gently.

"What are you doing here? Isn't this your free period?" she asked, stepping back. Remus nodded, his amber eyes swimming with emotion.

"Yeah, but I wanted to talk to you about something." he replied. She raised her eyebrows. "Hello Lily. How are you?"

"Very well, thank you, Remus." she smiled, retying her red hair in a ponytail. "I'll see you later, Tink."

"Don't call me that!" she shouted after Lily, who merely laughed. Remus chuckled as she turned around in his arms to face him. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

He took a breath and suddenly his courage failed him. He couldn't do it. He was too selfish to tell her the truth. Too selfish to face the possibility that he may have to let her go.

"I just wanted to tell you that I love you." he said and she blinked her violet eyes.

"You're in a sappy mood. Is everything okay?" she asked and Remus nodded. Belle gave him a doubtful look before rising up on her toes to press a kiss to his lips.

"I have to go and meet Mary in the library for a study session, but I'll see you at dinner, okay?" Belle asked and Remus nodded watching her walk away. She made walking look perfect too, like she was floating.

Sirius was at his side a moment later, watching Belle stride away with an oddly calm look on his face. "So, how did it go?" he asked.

Remus turned to him with a guilty look on his face and Sirius scoffed.

"Oh, it's called a spine, Moony." he snorted. Remus opened his mouth to defend himself when Sirius threw up his hands before walking away with a final comment, "Pitiful!"


	33. Chapter 33

**A.N—So, to summarise what's happened, Lily and James are now dating, as well as Remus and Belle and Sirius and Mary. Stefan has told Belle and Lily that he's gay and Remus is steeling himself to tell Belle about his lycanthropy and to find out what her BIG secret is because Mary won't squeal. **

**Disclaimer—I own nothing.**

**OoOoO**

Chapter Thirty Three  
Joke

Belle slipped in the door to her dorm and plonked her bag down after a long rehearsal. Cooper and Eliza were being very nice to her and were helping her adjust to being in a professional ballet company. She couldn't count how many times she had gotten lost in the building and ended up in the wrong studio. Ursula was very strict in the classroom, but would often take Belle out for lunch or dinner after a tough rehearsal.

Belle thought that the older woman was quite incredible really. She'd been a successful dancer back in her day and she still loved it. She wasn't married, because dance was her soul mate. It was rather poetic in Belle's opinion.

"You're getting in late." a low, masculine voice stated from the darkness of the room. She jumped and drew her wand, pointing it right at Remus who looked amused by her reaction, but that amusement didn't reach his eyes, which looked like cold gold coins.

"How did you get in here? This is the girls dorm." she said, waving her wand so that the lamps turned on and the small fire in the corner roared to life.

"If you lean on the banister in just the right way it dulls the charm for about ten minutes." he replied with a cheeky grin as he sat up from where he had previously been lying on her bed. He noticed that her hair was a complete mess and her face, back and basically all of her was covered in sweat. She looked, well...like she'd had a good shag. "So...where have you been?"

She eyes flashed. "Out."

"Out where?"

"What are you, my mother?" she asked, walking towards the bathroom and turning the tap on to fill up the bath and dropping her gym bag down as she went.

"No, I'm a concerned boyfriend who would like to know where you've been all day." he said slowly. "Because I talked with Mary and she said that you weren't with her in the Library."

"So now you're following me?" she said, coming out of the bathroom and crossing her arms as she walked forward. She was a little peeved that Mary hadn't covered for her. Some friend.

Remus got up, spreading his hands in a placating manner, determined for this to not go badly. "No, I'm just a little confused."

"About what?"

"Why you lied. Why you can't just tell me where it is you're going." he said.

"Because it's none of your business!" she cried. Remus's face went slack and pale. His whole demeanour changed and suddenly the wolf inside of him sensed a chance to let off some steam. He usually kept his temper in check but this girl, this stubborn and incredible girl, was pressing his buttons.

"It is too my business if you're sneaking around behind my back with another bloke!" he snapped, getting off the bed and stalking forwards. Belle looked like she'd been slapped, both of them ignoring the water that was overflowing from the tub in the bathroom.

"What?" she yelped, tears forming in her eyes. "You...you think that after all this time, after everything we've been through, I would turn around and cheat on you?"

"Well if you have another explanation, tell me! Put my mind at ease because you look like you've just taken a tumble with some other guy and I don't know what to think!"

"But I'm not the only one who sneaks out from the castle regularly, am I?" Belle spat, putting her hands on her waist and cocking her hip to the side. Remus paled. "Oh, yeah, Remus, I know what you are and where you go every full moon." she snarled.

"You...you mean you—" he stuttered, his mind too jumbled and overloaded with confused and shocked thoughts to form a simple sentence.

"—know you're a werewolf? Yeah." Belle said with a roll of her eyes. "Don't insult my intelligence, Remus, I've known for years."

Remus's shoulders slumped, relief washing through him like a tidal wave. She knew all this time, and she didn't care. She'd touched him, seen his scars and known how he'd gotten them. Yet, she hadn't questioned him.

"Why didn't you say anything?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. For a moment, the hard mask she wore softened.

"I figured that when you trusted me enough to tell me, you would." she shrugged but then she scowled, her gentle demeanour gone. "Clearly you don't feel the same way in this situation."

"Belle, we're all just worried about you. We don't want—"

"We? What is this _we_?" she asked, catching onto the word and then her arms dropped to her sides in shock, her shoulders and head slumped and her jaw dropped open as she gazed at the floor. "You've all been talking about me behind my back? Plotting, trying to get me to tell you where I've been? What's going on in my private life?"

"It wasn't like that!" Remus cried.

"THEN WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, NOSING ABOUT IN MY BUSINESS AND FOLLOWING ME AROUND?" Belle shouted, waving her arms around for emphasis and her eyes blazing.

"Belle, you need to calm down."

"No! I will NOT CALM DOWN!" Belle screamed, "Answer me this, Remus, because I am curious. Do you trust me?"

Remus nodded. "Yes."

"Do you love me?"

"Yes."

"Then why don't you just accept that I'm not going to tell you where I'm going?" she sighed heavily.

"Because I don't want to even think about the possibility that you may not be fighting on the same side that I am anymore." he said quickly.

Belle blanched. "You're not suggesting that I'm sneaking out as a spy for Voldemort, are you? Because if you are, you're not the man I thought you were."

Remus frowned painfully. "I'm not suggesting it, but that's a path that my thoughts will surely go down but I don't want them to take."

Belle nodded, looking upset now. "Remus, trust me when I tell you that I am not on the Dark Side. I'm just...I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"Because...because I can't."

Remus nodded and walked past her to the door. Belle grabbed him by the elbow. "Where are you going?"

"Out." he replied. "Away."

"Why?" she asked.

"Because I can't be around you right now. You keep lying to me."

"I never lied!" Belle cried. He ripped his arm out of her reach.

"You lie everyday!" Remus snarled, a feral and angry look on his handsome face. "You make me look like a joke, sneaking around behind my back."

"This relationship is a joke!" she retorted, more of a slip of the tongue, really. But it did its job as Remus backed up a step.

"You don't mean that." he said. Belle sighed.

"Just...just go, Remus." she said, raising her hand to rub her temples and cover her eyes, her shoulders shaking. He realised with a start that she was crying.

"Belle, I—"

"Leave!" she shouted and quicker than blinking, Belle had raised her wand and pointed it into his face. "If you can't accept the fact I'm not going to tell you where I'm going, then this conversation is over."

Remus shook his head. "I'm not leaving until we sort this out. You can trust me, Belle. Whatever it is you're keeping from me, you can share it with me."

"No, I can't. Last time I told you about somebody like me you all laughed and sneered..." she mumbled. Remus frowned.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, dumbfounded. She looked up at him sharply, her cheeks tear stained and her eyes still flowing with moisture. However, her expression was one of anger.

"Are you going to leave?" she snapped and Remus winced.

"No. Not until you tell me the truth."

"I can't!" Belle wailed, hopelessly. "Just let it go!"

"No!" he yelled back. She drew herself up to her full height.

"Fine then. I'll go." she said. Remus blinked in shock, too surprised to form a coherent sentence. He simply stared at her like a fish while she threw everything into her trunk, shrunk it down and shoved it into her pocket while swinging her purple cloak around her shoulders, carrying the gym bag in her hand.

Remus didn't come back to himself until the door had slammed hard enough to shake the entire castle and Belle was gone. He sank down onto the bed with his mouth open. She was gone.

A lot of people don't believe that men can cry. But when they're hurt, broken hearted and in despair all at the same time, they can. When men cry, they cry like the sky is falling and their world is ending.

Although in Remus's case, his world had just stormed from the dorm room, leaving him behind.

**OoOoO**

**A.N—Whoa. Okay. That's not good. Please don't kill me. I promise to update as soon as I've finished editing the next chapter. **

**Also, if anyone is getting sick of my OC stories and they have a character pairing, or a plotline or even just a little idea as to something they'd like to see me write, PM or tell me in a review because I'm running out of ideas. **

**Keep making mischief!**

**Maddaz a Hatter**


	34. Chapter 34

**A.N—Wow. Remus just can't do anything right, can he? OKay, i am so, so sorry about the lack of updates. I've been so busy and I got sick as well, so **

**Disclaimer—I don't own anything.**

**OoOoO**

Chapter Thirty Four  
Six Months Later.

Remus sat down at the breakfast table, forcing himself not to start weeping then and there. James, Lily and Stefan sat across from him while Sirius and Mary were next to him, Peter on his other side. All of them looked kind of wary, like they were about to poke a sleeping dragon.

"Morning, Remus." James said cautiously, just like every other day since January. It had been six months since Belle had left Hogwarts. Nobody, not even Lily had heard from her which meant that whatever had gone on between her and Remus had to have been bad.

Remus had lost his spirit. He didn't speak to anybody for long periods of time, he didn't answer questions in class, he didn't even join Sirius and James in their pranking. The only time that he showed any sign of life was when the post came every morning, hoping to see an owl from Belle.

"Morning." he mumbled, looking down at his plate without any kind of appetite. Mary took his hand and gave it a squeeze. He smiled weakly at her and swallowed.

"Mate, this is getting ridiculous." Sirius said, throwing down his spoon. "It's been six months. Move on already. Face it; _she's not coming back_. Frankly I don't blame her. We were all prats."

Remus glowered at his best friend with a frightening look in his eye. "Shut up, Sirius."

Sirius bit his lip and lowered his head, going silent. They continued on eating in silence when the loud screeches of owls sounded the arrival of the mail. Remus sat up straight, searching for Belle's black owl, Achilles, but after ten minutes, he slumped back down again, disappointed. Across from him, James let out a groan.

"Ugh." he said, shoving the letter away.

"What is it, love?" Lily asked. James smiled at the endearment, still getting used to the idea that she was his girl.

"Mum's making me go to this stupid muggle gala thing." he sighed. "She's invited all of you lot too, but you don't have to go. Although, that would mean I'd be going all by myself...bored and alone."

James pouted at Lily, who giggled. "Alright, I'll come." she relented. James grinned and kissed her in gratitude before turning to the others.

"When is it?" Stefan asked.

"Just after term ends. The 28th." James said, referring to the letter.

"I can come." Stefan said. "Could be fun."

"I'm in if she is." Sirius said, jerking his head towards Mary as he sipped at his pumpkin juice. Mary blushed and nodded.

"Peter?" James asked. Peter shook his head.

"Sorry, James, but I can't. I'm going to my aunties for the summer before I start work in my mother's apothecary." he sighed sadly. James frowned.

"What about you, Remus? It'll be good for you to get out for a bit. Meet somebody new."

"I don't want to meet anybody new. She's still the one." Remus muttered sadly. Lily took over.

"Well, think of it as a night out with your close friends, who all care about you and want you to have some fun."

Remus looked up and met big green pleading eyes and felt his resolve giving in. "Alright, I'll go."

James smiled. "Good," he said, "It's a black-tie sort of thing, so dress smart."

Mary was busy reading a letter from somebody and was too absorbed to reply, so she simply nodded.

_Dear Mary,  
I'm sorry it's taken a me so long to write to you, but you're the only one who knows my secret, so you're the only one who can possibly guess where I am right now. If you can't, then I'm at the Company Studio, rehearsing for my first ever performance as a professional dancer. It's getting staged on the 28th of June. I'm so excited and nervous as well. Cooper, a good friend of mine, is playing the male lead with me, so I'm not worried about him dropping me in any of the lifts or anything.  
Mary...this is my big chance. If I do this right, if I put everything I've ever worked for as a dancer into this production, my career could be made. It's a lot of pressure, but I have to try. I have to chase my dreams. And unfortunately, my dreams come at a price.  
From what you've written to me about Remus, it seems like he hasn't recovered from our fight. A part of me feels sorry for the way I left and what I said, but another part of me – the malicious, arrogant and horrible part – feels like he deserves a bit of misery over me. However, hopefully he'll get over me soon and will move on. I haven't yet, I don't think I'll ever be able to fully let him go, but it's what is best for him. We're like poison, softly and slowly killing each other with love and kindness. He deserves somebody who will make him happy and as much as I love him, I'm afraid that person isn't me.  
On another topic, I am glad to hear that Sirius is treating you well and that you're happy. Nobody in the world deserves happiness more than you, Mary. So, Lily and James still going strong then?_

_Hope to hear from you soon. I've enclosed a ticket for you to come to the the production. I really hope that you can come.  
All my love,  
Belle._

"Hey, James?" Mary asked and he looked up with a quizzical expression. "What's the name of that gala?"

"Erm...Paquita." he said, "Something about Paquita."

Mary started smiling widely and the others simply looked at her weirdly. Even Remus was curious about her sudden change of attitude, but nobody asked her about it.

**OoOoO**

Belle jumped a little at hearing the orchestra for the first time, but then laughed at herself. After a year of rehearsal, in just two weeks she would be performing on this stage in front of a sold out theatre. Her family was coming to the opening night and so was Mary.

She paused in her routine of warming up, thinking about the friends that she had left. After her fight with Remus, Belle had gone up to Dumbledore's office and told him that due to complications she wouldn't be returning to Hogwarts again. With a sad expression, he'd let her leave all the same. For the last six months Belle had been living in a small flat in London with Eliza, feeling slightly alone.

She missed Remus, missed him so much her heart ached, but it just couldn't work between them. They were just too alike, too similar to get along. Yet she was drawn to him like a moth to flame, unable to sleep at night, unable to think clearly during the day and spending hours crying with regret. Despite the fact that they were no longer together, despite the fact that she had left partly because of his mistrust of her, despite the fact that the were a horrible couple, she knew that if Remus came to her, she would jump into his arms without hesitation and would fall in love with him all over again.

Mary had told her how miserable Remus was nowadays. All he did was revise for his exams and sit in the common room, staring into the fire. He barely spoke a word to anybody, not even James or Sirius. They were all quite worried about what she had done to Remus when she'd left. She'd broken his heart and Belle was the only one who could fix it.

"Belle? Can I have a word?" Ursula asked. Belle nodded and trotted over to her gracefully, biting her lip.

"Have I done something wrong?"

"No." Ursula chuckled. "I just wanted to know how you were doing. You seem a little down lately."

Belle swallowed. "I had a really bad fight with my boyfriend and I haven't really spoken to him or anybody from school since."

"How long ago was this?" Ursula asked.

"January. Since I decided to alter my work full-time schedule."

"Oh, Belle, dearest. Something tells me that if you haven't forgotten about this boy, if he's still haunting you, he's the one for you. Despite your differences."

Belle frowned and told her everything that had happened, leaving out the fact that the boarding school was one for magical beings. At the end of the story, Ursula was pursing her lips together tightly.

"He shouldn't have been conspiring to follow you with his friends. That doesn't send the right message." she said, "It seems to me like he was only worried about you. I don't think that you should have reacted so harshly. But, maybe now that you've both had some breathing room, you can be together and forget the past. "

"But I can't tell him about all of this." Belle said, gesturing to the stage and the dancers around her.

"Yes, you can. You can do it because you're a brave girl." Ursula said, "And if he truly loves you, then he won't judge you. I think you're being a bit overly dramatic about all of this Belle."

Belle sighed and tucked that same lock of hair behind her ear, the same one that Remus loved so much. "Maybe you're right. But how can I face him after what I did? How can I possibly begin to apologise?"

"If you ask me, he should be the one apologising." Ursula said with a slight smirk. "You, however, need to learn to open up to him. I know that allowing somebody to see your heart is risky and scary, but maybe you'll find that it's worth it."

Ursula dismissed Belle to go and run the production, leaving the young ballerina with her very muddled thoughts.


	35. Chapter 35

**A.N—It is the long awaited chapter! :D Please enjoy and read and review! **

**Disclaimer—yeah, right. *snorts***

**OoOoO**

Chapter Thirty Five  
Paquita

Remus stood in the large foyer to the packed theatre, fidgeting with his tie. Beside him, Sirius, James and Stefan stood in black muggle suits and ties, looking around in awe at the lavish foyer. Mary, with her blonde hair curling down her back and wearing a soft lilac dress looked at ease with her arm tucked under Sirius's. Many women were staring at the couple, or rather at Sirius, but didn't approach. Lily however, looked simply ravishing in the mint green halterneck backless dress she wore, her hair up in a messy bun. James was having a hard time keeping his eyes off her, something that Remus found slightly nauseating and also sweet.

He stood next to Stefan who looked quite nervous. Mr and Mrs Potter were talking quietly to each other and finally James spoke up.

"Mum, I thought that this was a gala?" he asked.

"Oh, there is one, dear, after the ballet."

"The...the what?" James spluttered.

"The ballet, Paquita." Mrs Potter said in the tone of voice one would use to explain something to a child. "The gala is the after party, James."

"You didn't tell me that in the letter!" he replied and Mrs Potter blinked, a smile on her lips.

"Oops." she shrugged. Lily snorted with laughter while Sirius and Stefan snickered behind their hands.

"Hey...hey isn't that Belle's family?" Mary said suddenly, looking through the crowd. As they watched, Mrs Grey and three of her sons came bustling over, smiling and looking smart. Remus's heart felt heavy when he saw that Belle wasn't with them.

"Harold! Shelbie!" Mrs Grey greeted with hugs and kisses, enthusiasm in her voice. "It's so good of you to come!"

"It's nice to see you, Olivia." Mrs Potter smiled. "You know the children, yes?"

Mrs Grey smiled at them. "Of course. Belle's friends from school."

"She's not with you, is she?" Lily asked hopefully. Mrs Grey's brow furrowed in confusion.

"You mean you don't know?" she gasped. Sirius raised an eyebrow.

"Know what?" he asked.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, YOU MAY NOW TAKE YOUR SEATS! THIS IS YOUR FIVE MINUTE CALL!" a woman called through the P.A system. The group of twelve were ushered upstairs and into box five, which had a wonderful view of the stage. Remus was flipping through the program which had adds for sponsors of the ballet company when his eyes caught on a name; the lead in the ballet.

Belle Grey.

He sucked in a breath and turned to the others. They all looked surprised and equally shocked as he felt...all except Mary. She looked calm and collected, looking at the photo's that were taken during the rehearsal, smiling at the one of Belle laughing as she sat on the floor, in a stretch her pointe shoes in front of her and her hair in a bun. She looked beautiful.

"I don't know if this is a joke or not, but it isn't funny." Remus said to the others, who shook their heads just as the lights came down and the conductor appeared. The orchestra started up and the curtain rose. The stage was huge and was set was of a rocky valley with a village painted in the distance. A few dancers were sitting on stage, miming having a drink after a hard days work.

Sirius was snickering. "They're wearing tights!" Mary hit him for his trouble, but he continued to chuckle. Remus shook his head and watched on.

Soon, a group of dancers walked on calmly, dressed in fancier clothes than the rest. He watched as the male lead, Lucien, had a conversation with his mother, who wishes him to marry, although Lucien wants to, he desires to marry for love.

After a while the noble party departs and instead a band of dancers dressed in gypsy like clothes comes onto the stage followed by a man who is obviously the chief. Remus referred to his program and saw that his name was Inigo. After his impressive dance, he begins to gesture around, obviously looking for somebody. The others don't know what he's looking for and send him offstage to the left. As soon as he is gone, a ballerina dressed in a blue corset and a classical ballet skirt appears, her costume of the Spanish-style and the colour suiting her skin. Her hair was a golden colour and was slicked back into a tight bun, silver hoops in her ears and an arm bracelet around her bicep.

Belle.

Remus sat up straighter in his seat, his eyes glued to her. This couldn't be real. She couldn't be a ballerina. It just didn't make any sense. And yet, it explained where she was always sneaking off to, why her legs and stomach muscles were so toned and how she appeared so feminine and yet was so strong.

She smiled and waved to her fellow gypsies, who tell her that Inigo was looking for her. He rushed back onto the stage and send them all off, so that it is just he and Belle were onstage. He fell to his knees at her feet.

That was when she began to dance. Remus watched as she rose onto her toes and danced with a grace and poise that any other girl could only dream about. She seemed to hover in midair when she jumped and she made every extension and turn look as easy as breathing.

She told the story well. Her character Paquita is a young and beautiful gypsy girl who dances to earn money and who one day falls in love with Lucien, a lieutenant, but because of their status', they are not able to wed. When she overhears Inigo and a nobleman plotting to kill Lucien, she helps her love escape from their clutches by tricking Inigo to drink poison; the same poison that was meant for Lucien.

After defeating Inigo, Lucien takes Paquita to his home to present her to his parents, where she finds out that she is of noble birth. Remus's breath was swept away as he watched her dance with Lucien, a look of such devotion and love on her face that he felt a little jealous. Lucien fell to his knees in adoration and when she ran to him, he held her above his head by her waist. It was a wonderful dance they shared and it moved Lily to tears. Remus could hear her sniffling behind him.

Soon though, they left the stage and instead a group of children came on, they couldn't be older than twelve, yet they moved with the discipline of those who worked hard at what they did. They were wonderful to watch, but Remus was itching to see Belle perform again.

Soon his wish was fulfilled and she pranced onto the stage gracefully leaping into a grand jete, a jump that looked like the splits in the air.

"Merlin." he heard Stefan breathe.

Remus saw that she was wearing a red and black tutu that shimmered and sparkled with every move she made, her arms encased in the long sleeves and her head tilted upwards in a proud fashion. They watched her dance with other ballerinas, who were poised to watch her turn again...and again...and again.

"How is she not getting dizzy?" James wondered, making Lily chuckle.

Belle finished with a smile and the rest of the ballet passed in a ball-like manner to celebrate Paquita and Lucien's wedding. When the curtain went down, Remus applauded loudly. In the seats around him, people were getting to their feet, so he did as well.

The curtain rose again and Belle and the man who played Lucien, Cooper, ran forwards to take their final bow. Cooper kissed Belle's hand and they smiled at each other before exiting the stage. The lights went on and the group left the theatre, the adults chatting about the performance while the teenagers walked in stunned silence. They arrived at a large ballroom that was decorated lavishly.

"I never knew." Lily said quietly, taking a glass of champagne from one of the waiters.

"None of us did." James assured her. Mary looked guilty and ran a finger around the rim of her glass.

"I did. I caught her coming in after a rehearsal last year and I forced her to tell me everything. She made me swear not to tell anybody." she explained.

"Why wouldn't she want us to know?" Sirius asked. "We're her friends."

"She thought you all wouldn't understand, that you would make fun of her like you made fun of Harley."

Remus narrowed his eyes at the mention of that great prat. "So that's how they met?" he wondered, speaking for the first time in hours, grip so tight on his glass of champagne it was a wonder that the cup didn't break.

Mary nodded. "But can you understand why she didn't want to tell you?"

Remus nodded and let out a great sigh, relaxing. "Well, this certainly explains a lot."

"Oh yeah." James agreed.

"She was amazing, though." Stefan said. "She's really gifted."

Mary nodded. "People are calling her the new Margot Fonteyn."

"Really?" Lily gasped. "Wow."

"Who's that?" James asked.

"Margot Fonteyn was one the best female ballet dancers in classical history. The Queen gave her a special award and everything. To be compared to her is...epic." Lily explained.

Applause sounded through the hall and they looked around. Belle had entered the ballroom. Her stage makeup was still on but she had let her hair out and was dressed in a pretty black dress and studded heels. She spotted her family and made a beeline for them, hugging her mother and brothers happily. She accepted their flowers and compliments before catching sight of her friends.

Her face drained of colour and she looked ready to faint. Her expression was one of fear and her lip was quivering. She gulped and walked over to them.

Upon closer inspection, Remus saw that she was wearing fake eyelashes that were around an inch long, dark eyeshadow and bright red lipstick that suited her quite well.

"What are you doing here?" she asked them all, her voice deathly quiet and music to Remus's ears.

"My mother invited us all. We didn't know you were a ballerina, Belle! Why didn't you tell us? You were incredible out there!" James crowed and Lily hugged her best friend, who stood stiffly.

"You were so wonderful! I had no idea you could dance." Lily said, beaming.

"Although it explains a lot, now I think about it." Stefan smirked. Belle swallowed.

"I just thought that you lot would make fun of me." she said, looking at her shoes, which gave her a bit of height, but compared to the boys she was still small.

"Why would we make fun of you over something that you love?" James asked with a frown. Remus remained silent, not saying anything. He didn't want to talk with Belle in front of the others.

Her eyes brimmed with tears and she cleared her throat. "Well, thank you. Did you like the story?"

"Yes! It was brilliant!" Lily and Mary gushed. Belle smiled and then caught sight of Remus. She opened her mouth to say something to him, but was saved when Cooper, Mr Fitz and Ursula came up to her.

"You, my brilliant girl, are dazzling." Cooper grinned, scooping her up and hugging her close. Belle giggled and he set her down. Mr Fitz kissed her hands and Ursula smiled at her warmly.

"These are my friends from school," Belle said, with a look at Ursula, who gave nothing away as they were introduced to the witches and wizards.

"It's nice to meet you." Mr Fitz smiled. "She's a treasure, our Belle. I hope you all enjoyed the show."

They assured him that they did and Ursula smiled in a very smug way. "Belle, I've just been speaking with Anjelica Josdov and Francois Davis. They want you to guest teach at their companies and to perform in their ballets, if you'll consent to do so."

Belle's jaw dropped. "As in, the directors of the Russian Ballet and the Australian Company?" she gasped. Ursula nodded and Belle beamed.

"Of course! I'd be happy to!" she said.

"You'll still be working here, of course?" Ursula added, sounding a little nervous as well. Belle nodded and her teacher smiled before linking her arms with Mr Fitz who left to mingle. She turned back to the others, aware that Cooper was there.

"Uh, would you all excuse us for a moment?" Cooper asked, leading Belle away. He glanced back over at the group.

"Who's the one with the brown hair and blue eyes?" he whispered. Belle smiled.

"That's Stefan."

"So he's straight?" he said sadly and Belle's lips spread in a smile.

"Cooper, Stefan has been my friend since I was eleven years old. Trust me, he is gay, gay, gay, gay, gay." she half sang. Coopers jaw dropped.

"Really?" he asked, sounding hopeful. "He's gay?"

"Yes he's gay!" she giggled. "Who knew your gaydar was so stupid."

"My gaydar is not stupid. I do not have stupid gaydar." Cooper wrinkled his nose. "Ugh, I hate that word."

Belle rolled her eyes and walked back over to her friends, Cooper at her side. He immediately asked Stefan if he wanted to get a drink and the two left, chatting.

"Master match-maker, you are." Lily said with a wink. Belle laughed and Remus's heart twisted in his chest. James bowed low to Lily.

"Might I have this dance, love?" he asked and she shook her head, taking his hand and following him to the dancefloor. Sirius and Mary followed soon after, leaving Belle and Remus alone. Belle stood staring down at her blistered and battered feet, twisting a plain silver ring around her finger, looking nervous. Remus had his hands deep in his pockets and was biting his lip.

"I could use some air." he said suddenly. "Would you like to join me?"

"Yes." her answer was wrenched from her mouth before she could stop herself. "Yes, I'd like to." she continued with a bit more restraint. He chuckled and together they walked out of the ballroom and he followed her upstairs and onto a balcony that overlooked London. The air was chilly and he saw her shiver. He slipped out of his jacket and draped it around her shoulders. She blinked up at him before blushed deeply.

"Thank you." she mumbled.

"You're welcome." he replied gently. They stood in silence for a while, just admiring the view; Belle of the city, Remus of her. She truly was a vision, her awkward stage far behind her.

"You're a truly wonderful dancer. It looked like magic, the way you moved." he said truthfully. Belle blushed even harder.

"Thank you. It's the one thing in this world I love almost as much as—" she caught herself, shaking her head and letting that lock of hair fall into her eyes. He took a cautious step forward and then as gentle as a feather, tucked it behind her ear.

"Belle..." he trailed off and she looked up at him, his jacket big on her slight frame. "I'm so sorry."

She merely blinked.

"I was a prat. I should have just trusted you. If you didn't want to tell me about all of this, then that was your decision. It couldn't have been easy for you to keep all of this to yourself." he said. "Is there any chance that you can forgive me for being a colossal idiot? Because the dumbest thing I ever did was letting you walk out that door."

Belle swallowed and turned to face him. She looked at him for the longest time, just drinking him in before she stepped forward and embraced him. He was warm and soft yet every part of him pure male. He smelled exactly like she remembered and in that moment she felt like she was coming home.

"Yes, I can forgive you." she murmured into his shirt. His chest was rising and falling rapidly and she backed away, confused, only to see tears running down his cheeks. He took her face in his hands and started kissing every inch of her face, half laughing half crying.

"Why are you crying?" she asked with a smile.

"Because I'm in emotional overload. I'm so happy that I have you back, and I'm crying because I feel so relieved." he replied, lowering his forehead to hers. "And I'm so in love. I love you so much, Belle."

Her smile grew. "I never really believed in true love." she murmured. "But that was before I met you."

Remus kissed her then, reaching down to hold her in his arms, bridal style, smiling against her lips. Her shoes flew off and the night air bit at her toes but she didn't care. They just remained locked in that embrace for a while, enjoying the romantic moment and watching the fireworks dance behind their eyelids. Belle pulled away first, her hands combing through Remus's hair.

They both knew what the other was thinking when their eyes met. It was the perfect moment; the moment when they felt the most alive.


	36. Chapter 36

**A.N—YAY! REMUS AND BELLE ARE BACK TOGETHER! I'm so sorry that it took me so long to update people. I do not deserve to have such loyal and amazing followers. I'm not sure when I'll update next because I have exams, but I'll try to ASAP. But for now, please enjoy this chapter! :D**

**Disclaimer—I own a pair of Bambi-imprinted PJ's, not Harry Potter. **

**OoOoO**

Chapter Thirty Six  
Living Life

Belle never took her NEWT's nor did she return to Hogwarts to receive her graduation diploma. She wouldn't need it because of her already made career in her ballet. Her friends supported her throughout the next few weeks, attending every performance of Paquita and each time congratulating her on a job well done. Not long after her productions were done she began working on another ballet, this one paying double that which she had previously earned and it was La Bayadere.

James and Lily began living together in October, much to the displeasure of their parents. But, during a war when they could all die at any time, they had no time to waste. Mary moved in with Sirius, who already had a house, thanks to his late Uncle Alphard, which left Remus and Belle, who were living in the same apartment building as Stefan. Peter was working almost non-stop and didn't have much time to spend with them, but when he did he was quiet and shy as usual.

Stefan and Cooper were now dating, as Stefan had come out about his sexuality a few months earlier. The Marauders thought that it was a bit odd at first, but over time grew used to it.

It was a Saturday morning and Belle was sitting on the couch in the living room, her feet in Remus's lap and reading the Daily Prophet, wearing nothing but one of Remus's dress shirts and a pair of yoga shorts.

"Four dementor attacks in a week." she said, biting her lip. "That's terrible."

Remus nodded. "I know." he said then hesitated before looking up at her. "There was something I wanted to talk to you about."

"What's that?" she asked, meeting his gaze. "Is everything alright?"

"I want to joint the Order." he said. "I want to fight."

Belle's eyes widened. "And...?"

Remus blinked. "And I was wondering if that would be alright with you."

"You're asking my permission?" she asked in wonder. Remus grinned and shook his head.

"Not permission so much as a blessing. Joining the Order is dangerous." he said. She shrugged.

"We're living in dangerous times, Remus. Joining an army that is fighting to make this world a better place isn't something I can argue with."

"So I can join?" he clarified. Belle giggled.

"Yes." she said. "Just be careful, alright? Promise me?"

He took her hand and kissed it, pressing it against his cheek. "I promise."

She smiled and then waved him off. "Go make me breakfast." she winked. Remus chuckled and got up, bowing.

"As you command, your highness." he said, drifting into the kitchen.

CRACK!

Belle jumped a little and looked around. Sirius, James, Peter and Stefan stood in their living room, blinking and looking around. She continued reading the paper.

"He's in the kitchen, boys." she droned dully, turning the page.

"Cheers, Tink." Stefan winked.

"Don't call me that!" she groaned.

"Nice legs, Grey." Sirius smirked. She rolled her eyes.

"I thought you'd like them. I wore this just for you, Sirius." she winked. Sirius smirked and walked into the kitchen.

"What do you sorry sods want?" Remus asked.

"Order meeting tonight." Sirius said simply. "You coming?"

"Yup." Remus chirped. James smirked as Sirius handed him five galleons. Remus rolled his eyes and padded over to Belle, handing her a cup of hot chocolate, earning him a kiss.

"Oh, he's good." James whispered before turning to Padfoot. "We should take notes."

"Get lost you prats." Remus said while Belle laughed. "I'll see you tonight."

They all laughed but disappeared with a CRACK. Belle shook her head and got up from the couch carefully, cradling her steaming beverage.

"Did I ever tell you that Phoebe had her baby?" she asked. Remus looked up.

"No," he replied. "You didn't."

"She had a little baby girl. Hannah." Belle said. "And Molly Weasley just had twins."

Remus laughed. "Molly is going to keep trying for a girl, isn't she?"

Belle winked. "Who knows?" she said. "Maybe next time."

Remus wrinkled his nose. "I don't know if I'm ever going to be able to look at Arthur the same way again."

Belle laughed loudly, making Remus's heart soar. He had missed her so much and was just happy to have her back.


	37. Chapter 37

**A.N—Blech back to school after a long weekend. WHY CAN'T I GO TO HOGWARTS?! Just some fluff. **

**Disclaimer—Do I look like the greatest writer of the 21st century?**

**OoOoO**

Chapter Thirty Seven  
Worry

Belle paced the living room, biting her nails and running a hand through her hair. It was well after midnight and Remus was still not home from the Order mission. She had heard no news and she was afraid, so deathly afraid that she had lost him after only just getting him back.

The door opened and Belle whipped around, looking pale as Nearly Headless Nick and ready to faint. She stumbled towards Remus, whose hair was messy and his lip was cut but he was otherwise unhurt. She fell into his arms, half crying, half laughing with relief.

"You're alive. You're alive." she muttered. "Remus, love, you're alive!"

Remus had a hand on the back of her head, his other arm snaked around her waist, holding her close, swaying her slightly. She stepped back.

"Are you hurt? Are you alright?" Belle said, frantically searching every inch of his face and patting down each part of him that she could reach. Remus chuckled lightly.

"I'm fine, Belle, really." he assured her with a smirk. "I didn't know you cared so much."

Belle's face contorted but before she could start yelling, he enfolding her into his arms. She physically relaxed, practically melting. He felt the tension ease out of her then and he knew that he had managed to escape a row.

"I'm just glad you're home safe." she said quietly into his shirt. Remus stepped back and she frowned, tracing the cut on his lip with a troubled expression. "You go and make yourself comfortable." Belle said, "I'll make some tea."

She glided into the kitchen, tapping the kettle with her wand while Remus sat down in the living room, peeling off his shoes and socks and rubbing his tired eyes, his back twinging. She returned a moment later with his drink and sat down next to him gingerly, her purple eyes wide. He sipped at his tea gratefully, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles as he held her hand.

"Were you really that worried?" he asked, setting the cup down and pulling Belle into his lap, cradling her.

"I was so scared." she admitted softly. "I thought I'd never see you again."

"I'm here, now, so put your worries aside." he assured, caressing her cheek with his hand.

"But what happens when you go on another mission and I'm left to worry about you all over again? I'll probably spend the next twenty years of my life worrying about you."

"I seriously doubt the war will go on for that long." Remus snorted.

"But what if—"

"Shut up." he murmured, pressing his lips against hers and crushing her to him. She kissed him back, winding her arms around his shoulders and pressing down on his back. He winced and she pulled back.

"I thought you said you were fine!" she said crossly. Remus started protesting when she practically climbed over his shoulder and lifted up his shirt to examine the long scratches that ran down his back and the black and blue bruises there. Belle's eyes widened in horror as she watched blood run down his back.

"Sweet Circe," she breathed, crouching down looking him in the eye. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I didn't want you to worry." he replied lamely and Belle glared, jumping over the back of the couch and landing as quiet as a mouse, disappearing for a moment and then returning with a wash cloth, a green ointment and a bowl of steaming water. She set this all down on the table, tying her hair back.

"Shirt off and then lie down on your stomach." she ordered, sitting down on the edged of the couch next to his hips, dipping the wash cloth into the water and then wringing it out. Remus did as she bade, propping his chin on his folded arms. He felt Belle's warm and delicate hands trailing his injuries and she grimaced before wiping the dry blood away, being as gentle as she could. Remus grit his teeth at the stinging and for a while she worked without speaking, humming one of the many songs from the ballet she was currently working on.

"What happened?" she asked suddenly, not really eager to hear the details, but it was more for his benefit, to take his mind off the pain. Remus was jolted out of his mediation, Belle's humming lulling him into a doze.

"It was a raid on an army gathering. I'll spare you the details, but I ran into old Greyback. He wasn't in a good mood." he replied, eyes closed.

Belle swallowed, once again wringing out the cloth, the water already red and bloody. "And the bruises?"

"He threw me pretty roughly." Remus said ruefully. Belle sniffled. "You knew that this would be hard."

"I know." she muttered. "I suppose that it just takes some getting used to."

She set the cloth aside and reached for the ointment, smearing it onto his back generously. He hissed as the ointments stung, blue smoke rising up as the germs were killed. She got up, rushing to the bathroom to retrieve bandages and then coming back. She helped Remus to sit up, then bound his chest and back with the gauze before using magic to hold it in place.

"There, now." she said, gathering up the bowl and going into the kitchen. "Keep that on for a few days, and it should be healed up fine."

Remus got to his feet, following her. "Belle?"

She sniffled again, rinsing out the bowl and then turned around, throwing her arms around Remus's neck, kissing him soundly and with every ounce of love she had in her. Remus staggered a little at the sudden impact, but kissed her back, running his hands through her hair. He reached down to swing her up, but she backed away.

"No, you mustn't. Your back." she protested. Remus rolled his eyes, picking her up anyway and kissing her cheeks, her eyelids, her nose, every part of her face that he could reach.

"I don't really care." he murmured before crashing his lips to hers. She really weighed next to nothing, but he didn't know if it was because he liked having her in his arms and the joy that made him feel took the effort away, or if it was just because she was a ballerina. He walked them into the bedroom, laying her down on the mattress before climbing on top of her. He nuzzled her neck while he kissed under her jaw, leaving a trail of wet kisses in his wake.

"You shouldn't be doing this." she whispered. "With your back and all."

"I really don't give a flying frig about my back." he murmured against her skin. "All I care about is you."

Belle rolled her eyes, wrapping her legs around Remus's waist and using the momentum, flipped them over. Remus frowned a little in pain.

"You know, knowing you're a ballerina explains why your legs are so strong." he smiled, hands running up her thighs. Belle shook her head, her hair falling about her shoulders.

"You're hurt, you need your rest, so stop being such a Marauder and go to sleep." she tutted. Remus watched as she got up off him and watched her walk into the bathroom. He sighed in frustration, flopping back onto the bed and throwing an arm over his face while he muttered under his breath. Belle chuckled as she brushed her hair.


	38. Chapter 38

**A.N—I'm so sorry for the lack of updates. Really, I don't have an excuse. I was just feeling lazy. Please drop me a review to motivate me into updating. :)**

**I thought I'd lighten it up a bit and the result is this chapter. Mostly fluff. **

**Disclaimer—I own a Typo Diary not Harry Potter.**

**OoOoO**

Chapter Thirty Eight  
Bowling.

Sirius slumped down on the couch and heaved a sigh, downing his glass of firewhisky. Remus sat across from him, Belle's head in his lap while he stroked her hair. She was wearing her stockings and yoga shorts over her black leotard and looked like she was falling asleep. Lily and James were whispering to each other in hushed tones and Peter was throwing a ball across the room with Mary, who looked bored.

"Okay, we need to get out." Sirius said, setting his glass down with a clang. "Let's go."

"Go where?" Remus asked and Belle's eyes flew open sleepily. She moaned and snuggled down again, trying to go back to sleep. Rehearsals had been absolutely brutal as of late and worrying about Remus constantly didn't help her sleep at night. Remus smiled down at her fondly, stroking her hair and tracing the shell of her ear gently.

Sirius grinned. "Let's go bowling."

James raised an eyebrow. "Bowling?"

"Yeah." Sirius said. "We haven't been out together since Hogwarts finished."

Lily smiled. "Sounds like a good idea. It has been a while. Nearly five months."

"I'm in." Peter said.

Mary clapped her hands. "It'll be fun."

Remus looked down at Belle and gently shook her awake. "What do you think?"

"I'm tired." she whined. Sirius got off the couch and slouched over to Belle. Quicker than the eye could see, he had scooped Belle up and over his shoulder, leaving her kicking and yelling profanities. Remus merely laughed.

Sirius carried her out of the house and down the street and they disapparated. Remus walked behind them, a smirk on his face. Belle scoffed.

"You aren't going to help me?" she asked him and Remus laughed.

"No." he said and she huffed. Sirius set her down and she glared at him, shoving his chest.

"You're an arse." she said simply. James and Lily laughed as they walked into the bowling alley. Belle followed, Remus putting an arm around her. Belle really didn't want to be there. She'd been in rehearsal all day and was covered in dried sweat, she ached in places she didn't know she had muscles and all she wanted was to curl up next to Remus and sleep.

"Let's just get through it and then we can go home." he murmured. Belle groaned as the guy handed her the rental shoes. Sirius was paying, so she shouldn't complain. Remus pulled her against him and his lips were near her ear.

"If you play, I promise that when we get home I'll..." his voice became lower and as he talked Belle's eyes got wide and she blushed deeply. She bit her lip and giggled. "Deal?" he asked and Belle nodded, tying her shoes up.

Sirius stepped up to bowl and got a strike, smirking and punching the air happily. Lily got up and bowled the ball, grinning when she knocked down eight pins. When Belle finally got up to have her turn she was a little anxious, having never done this before.

"So how do I do this exactly?" she asked and James raised his eyebrows.

"You've never bowled before?" Mary asked incredulously.

"No." Belle replied matter-of-factly.

"It's like sex. You don't need to remember anything. You just do it." Sirius stated and Remus grinned, hitting his best friend on the shoulder lightly.

"Just roll it on down there." Lily sniggered. Belle frowned and held the ball like she'd seen the others do it and when she went to bowl, her leg came up behind her in a powerful kick. She watched as the ball rolled down the alley and knocked all the pins down in a strike. Belle jumped delightedly, a big smile on her face as she clapped. She turned to her friends and her smile slipped from her face. Their jaws were lowered in shock and Belle blinked.

"What?" she asked.

"Your leg...nearly hit the back of your head!" Sirius gaped and Belle shrugged, resuming her seat.

"Your turn, Mary." she said. Sirius leaned over to Remus.

"Mate, she's flexible!" Sirius hissed and Remus grinned.

"You wouldn't _believe_ what she can do in between the sheets, Pads." he winked and Sirius's eyebrows shot up and James spluttered.

"Remus John Lupin. I never thought I'd hear such vulgar suggestions leave your mouth." Sirius gasped in a fake shocked voice. Remus laughed and nudged Sirius.

"It's your turn." he said. Some time later Lily pulled out a portable Muggle camera, which apparently worked just as well as wizarding ones. She was snapping pictures of everybody with a mischievous smile.

"Tink, go sit next to Remus." she ordered. Belle groaned.

"Lily, you know I hate it when you call me that." Belle said, "Besides, I look like the Whomping Willow had a go at me."

Remus chuckled and pulled her into his lap. "You look beautiful."

Sirius gagged.

Belle smiled anyway and Lily snapped the picture. James came up behind her and nuzzled her neck. Mary seized this opportunity to snatch the camera and capture the moment.

When they'd finished their bowling game (Lily won) and they stepped outside to find that it was snowing. Belle shivered and Remus drew her in close to him.

"Alright you sods, we're going home." he called, "I'll be in touch soon."

Belle took his hand and they disapparated away, appearing in their apartment. Belle hurried over to the fireplace and pointed her wand at the grate where an orange flame came roaring to life and melting the chill from her bones. Remus draped a blanket around her shoulders and sat next to her.

"That was fun." he said in a quiet voice right near her ear. Belle shivered again but not from the cold. "What?" he asked.

"Your breath tickles." she murmured, her eyes on the flame. Belle's neck was extremely ticklish and Remus knew that. Remus held back a grin when he pressed his lips in a very long, lingering kiss to the spot on her neck that made her gasp. He pulled back and kissed her again, this time just below her ear.

She hit him lightly. "Stop that." she said, her tone firm but breathless.

"Stop what?" he murmured against her skin. She smiled.

"That!" Belle said, turning to face him. Remus had a smirk on his face and his eyes were reflecting the firelight, making his amber eyes dance like the flames in the grate. Remus leaned back against the couch and pulled her to him. Belle draped the blanket around the both of them and she sighed, content and warm.

"I love you." she whispered. "Do you know that?"

Remus nodded and kissed her hair. "I know. I'll never get tired of you saying it, but I know."


	39. Chapter 39

**A.N—This kinda just came to me and I had to write it even though it's not Belle/Remus. I'm going to be skipping ahead in time a bit from now on, so the chapter titles will tell you when it is.**

**Disclaimer—Nope. **

**OoOoO**

Chapter Thirty Nine.  
Christmas Woes

Sirius continued to stare at Mary, who was blushing beet red and looked unsure as to whether she should start crying or not. She's just delivered the news that her cousin had opened up an antique store in Venice and that she was going to accept the job that he'd offered her. Which meant that Mary was moving away, that she was leaving him.

Leaving Sirius.

It had taken him so long to find her, to be able to hold her in his arms and now she was moving away from him. Sirius's heart broke and the love he felt for her was pulling him in two directions. He could plead and beg for her to stay or he could be unselfish and...let her go.

"So, when do you leave?" he asked in a sad, low voice. Mary blinked.

"You're not going to stop me?"

"Would it change anything?" Sirius asked with an amused smile. Mary gazed at him for a while before smiling.

"No." she replied "It wouldn't."

"No matter how much I want you to stay, no matter how much I beg and plead, you'll go anyway because it's what you want."

"I do want this job, but I don't want to leave you either."

Sirius swallowed and sighed. "There's no point in us continuing on with this, is there?" he asked, gesturing between them. Mary looked at her feet. Sirius let out a breath and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Sirius, you should know that I'll come back and visit you every chance I get." she sounded almost guilty.

"Mary, there's no point in continuing this relationship if we're not even going to be together." he sighed. "You know what I'm like, and I'll be the first to admit that when it comes to commitment...I suck."

Mary laughed and sat on the bench, looking him in the eye. "You've been doing alright the last seven months."

Sirius smiled genuinely at her. "Thanks Mary." he said, stepping forward and hugging her. She hugged him back and it felt all wrong, like a goodbye hug. He breathed in the scent of her hair and her perfume, closing his eyes. He stepped back and released her a little, still holding her in his arms. "When do you leave?"

"Boxing Day." she sighed and Sirius nodded sadly.

"That's in three days."

"I know." she said, stroking his cheek gently. "I'll miss you Sirius. But I think that this could be the start of something good for me. I could get away from this war, away from the fighting. I really really want this."

"I couldn't come between you and your wishes, Mary." he whispered, grabbing her hands and holding them against his face. "I'm a selfish person, the bad guy, but...when it comes to you..."

Mary kissed him softly and they remained in a gentle embrace for a while, relishing their time together while it lasted.

**OoOoO**

The living room of Lily and James's apartment was crowded with people, all wearing their comfort clothes and smiling happily. Christmas was a time for family and most of them didn't have any left, all except Belle, Mary and Lily, that is. Today, however they were spending it together.

Lily and Remus had cooked up a feast together and was devoured by Sirius and James who had bottomless pits for stomachs. Stefan had brought Cooper around as well, which was a little awkward at first but after ten minutes and a few jokes made by Sirius, everything resumed as normal.

Remus grabbed Belle's hand and steered her over to the fireplace while James and Sirius cleaned up, grumbling as they did so. She gave him a quizzical look and he handed her a small box wrapped in festive Christmas paper. She frowned.

"Remus, you shouldn't have." she said, "We agreed, no presents."

It was true that Remus had been having trouble getting a job as of late, what with the war and his condition. Belle's pay from all three companies was more than enough to support them both, but Remus was proud, and he found work in the Muggle world but they didn't keep him for more than a few weeks.

"I know I promised." Remus smirked. "But I lied. Open it."

Belle rolled her eyes and ripped the wrapping paper off and opened the small jewellery box. Her jaw dropped. Inside lay a simple silver and diamond encrusted locket around the size of a Knut. It was breathtaking and looked...expensive.

"Remus—"

"Shut up and let me put it on you." he said gently and Belle snapped her jaw shut, taking the necklace out and turning around, lifting her hair up so he could do the clasp. He kissed the spot where it rested and she let her hair fall down. The locket winked in the light and Belle kissed him, rising up onto her toes to do so. He wound his arms around her waist, holding her to him.

"OI! You two! Break it up!"

They separated with chagrined smiles, their arms still around each other. Sirius looked a little sad when he looked at them and Lily came up to him, her small hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, are you alright?" she asked softly. Sirius sighed, looking down at the sink that was filled with soap and hot water.

"Has Mary told you?"

"Yes." Lily replied, looking very sympathetic. Sirius shrugged, setting the dishes in the other side of the sink for rinsing.

"Then you know that I am not alright." he let out an amused huff, "Not even close. I thought that I'd finally have a chance with somebody, a real relationship, you know? And now..."

"Now it's been taken from you." Lily finished, wiping the clean dishes and glancing at him from the corner of her eye. Sirius nodded and Lily set the dishcloth aside and took his hand gently.

"Listen, Padfoot," she said, "If you need some space, some time away from all of us to sort everything out, you know, between yourself, your family and Mary, then take it. We won't hold it against you. Belle's had her time and now you can have yours."

Sirius looked at her in a way he'd never done before, like he was seeing her in a whole new light. "I can see why Prongs was so obsessed with you now. You're a pretty special girl."

Lily smiled and punched him lightly on the arm. "And don't you forget it." she said, picking up the dishcloth again and watching as Sirius smirked. "What?"

"You called me Padfoot." he stated and Lily laughed.


	40. Chapter 40

**A.N—Please review. Pretty please? **

**Disclaimer—Do I look like J.K Rowling?**

**OoOoO**

Chapter Forty

March 1978

Belle giggled as she threw little Hannah into the air, Phoebe and Toby's child. She was nearly a year old and had grown up so fast. Hannah squealed in delight and clapped her meaty hands together, a toothless smile on her face. Belle cuddled her niece to her with a big smile on her face, unaware that eyes were on her.

Sirius smirked. "She's so good with kids." he noticed, "Better watch out, Moony. She'll be wanting them soon."

Remus blanched and nearly spat out the butterbeer he was drinking. "I can't...She knows that I can't have children."

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Does she? Because from the looks of it, she'll want them."

"If she wants a baby, we can adopt. There are a lot of orphans out there because of this war. I have no problem with starting a family with Belle. Although, I would prefer to make an honest woman out of her first."

"You mean...get married?" Sirius asked, looking shocked. Remus nodded.

"Not right now, but maybe someday, yes." Remus then frowned. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be talking to you about this sort of thing. Not after Mary."

Sirius waved a dismissive hand and took a swig from his bottle. "It's alright. She writes to me every couple of days, but we've decided that we're just going to stay friends. It's much easier and less...painful that way."

Remus bit his lip in sympathy. "Sorry, Pads."

Sirius shrugged. "Seriously though, if you're going to propose, you should do it now. With Voldemort running around, you never know when..."

"Did you hear about Benjy Fenwick?" Remus murmured in a low voice, eyes glued to Belle who was now chasing one of her other cousins around the backyard, laughing and calling '_I'm going to get you! I'm going to catch you!'_

"Yeah. Poor sod." Sirius sighed. "We're not making much impact in this war, Remus. Everyday more and more people go missing and you never know who's going to go next."

"Well what do you suggest that we do?" Remus asked, half exasperated and half curious. Sirius shrugged.

"That's the thing. I haven't got a god damn clue." he replied. Sirius took another drink from his bottle and Remus gave him a concerned look. That wasn't what Sirius would normally say.

Remus raised his eyebrows and then grabbed the bottle, taking a sniff. "You're drunk, Padfoot. Go home."

"Remus! Remus, you have to see this!" Belle cried with a big smile on her face, a newspaper in her hand. He glanced at Sirius, murmured "Go home." before making his way over, putting an arm around his girlfriend.

"What is it?" he asked. Belle smiled and his stomach did a pleasant flip.

"Listen." she said, clearing her voice, "_The performance of Gold's production Giselle was staged in the St James theatre on Saturday last. Gold presents the production in a classical, traditional yet modern way, his dancers elite and perfect, as always." _

"That would be us, eh, Bells?" Cooper winked, his hand in Stefan's. Belle spared him a wink before turning back to the newspaper. People were gathering to hear now, listening in and watching as Cooper snatched the paper away, picking up where she left off.

"_Gold's two leads, Cooper Hamilton and Belle Grey were stunning, displaying a chemistry and passion on stage that takes the breath away. Hamilton takes up the stage with his strength and height, but Grey takes the heart. She will be a dancer to remember for ages to come. Move over Fonteyn, there's a new ballerina in town." _

Belle looked surprised but delighted at the same time. She threw her arms around Cooper who was grinning. He stooped down and wrapped his arms around her knees, lifting her up, making her laugh. The guests started to clap, even James who didn't look at all like he minded despite the fact that this was his birthday celebration.

Belle dropped to the ground and walked over to Remus, who had an odd expression on his face. She put an arm around his waist. "Isn't this great? I've been getting those kind of reviews the last few months. If this keeps up, it'll be like I'm some sort of ballet celebrity."

Remus's smile was somewhat twisted and he gulped at his butterbeer. Belle noticed and jerked away from him a little to get a proper look at his face.

"Can we go home? I'm tired." he said stiffly. Belle blinked but nodded, leaving quickly to say her goodbyes before going back to his side. They walked beyond the wards before disapparating outside their apartment building. They caught the elevator without saying a word to each other. It was only when Remus was reaching for his keys when Belle spoke, her voice a little fearful.

"Is everything alright, Remus?" she asked gently. Remus nodded, opening the door and stepping through.

"Peachy." he replied, going into their bedroom. Belle followed, slipping her coat off and tossing her shoes off, slipping into the jumper that she'd stolen from Remus back in their sixth year, wearing her underwear and bra underneath. The sleeves fell down over her hands so that the last two knuckles of each finger were exposed. Remus climbed into bed, still sitting up. Belle clambered into his lap, straddling him and taking his face in her hands, looking into his amber eyes.

"Now tell me the truth." she said, "What's bothering you?"

Remus sighed, running his hands up her smooth legs. "It's just...I guess that I'm a little jealous."

Belle blinked and then smiled. "What?" she asked.

"You've got such a good career and a good life ahead of you." he said, looking down at the locket nestled on her throat. "Whereas I have nothing."

Belle looked at him for the longest time. "You have me." she reminded him, "You always will. Stop worrying about money, okay? I have more than enough to keep us afloat for a while and you'll find somebody who will give you a job."

Remus smiled. "Thanks for the faith darling. I have a question, though."

"Yes?"

"Where did you get this jumper? It went missing three years ago." he laughed and Belle blushed deeply.

"Well, you know when the girls and I were in the prefect bathroom? Well...you left it behind and I...I kept it."

"Why? Weren't you dating Harley back then?" he asked and Belle nodded.

"It was just before I found out that he was—"

"A no good, lying, cheating, son of a bitch?" Remus finished with a growl. Belle kissing the tip of his nose.

"Hush." she said softly. "You've got me now. So do me a favour?"

Remus raised his eyebrows and Belle grinned. "Don't let me go." she whispered.

Remus kissed her lips then, gently and tenderly, like he was worshipping her. Belle hummed into the kiss, smiling. Remus rolled over, bringing her with him, where together they enjoyed the night, all worries and concerns forgotten.

**OoOoO**

Belle opened the door, walking right on in to Lily and James's apartment. A week had transpired since James's party and Belle was sore and tired from all her rehearsals. Not to mention she wasn't getting much sleep due to Remus's missions for the order. She kept waiting for that knock on the door that would bring the news that she dreaded, that Remus was gone forever.

She walked into the bedroom and screamed, covering her eyes. Lily and James were still in bed, and apparently naked. Belle covered her eyes and turned around.

"Tink! What the hell are you doing here?" Lily screeched.

"You invited me over for a girls day!" Belle replied, blushing deeply. "It's two in the afternoon!"

There was a pause. "Is it really?" Lily asked and James laughed, although it sounded strained.

"I'm just going to...to go." Belle stuttered awkwardly, cheeks redder than the gates of hell. "You two...enjoy your afternoon."

"Mmm, I will." James winked and Belle gagged while Lily giggled.

Belle shuddered, closing the door and leaving her best friends apartment, scarred for life.


	41. Chapter 41

**A.N—I know it's confusing, but we're skipping in time a lot now. It's now July 1978. Review anyway, please. **

**Disclaimer—AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! No. **

**OoOoO**

Chapter Forty One

Glitter

Sweat rolled off Belle's forehead and gathered at the small of her back, making her feel wet and sticky. Rehearsal for the new production of La Bayadere had been brutal, even more so in the middle of July. She opened the door to the apartment and blinked. Her living room was filled with people who all looked around at her entrance.

"Not to be rude or anything, but what are you lot doing here?" she asked, dropping her bag down near the door which she kicked shut before plonking down on the couch, shaking her hair loose. Sirius frowned.

"You look like hell, Tink."

"Don't call me that." she snapped, "And have you ever done ballet for seven hours straight with only a forty five lunch break in the middle of summer?"

Sirius opened his mouth.

"No." Belle said, answering her own question, "I didn't think so."

James laughed and said, "In answer to your first question, we're here to celebrate."

Belle raised an eyebrow at Remus who was grinning broadly. "Celebrate what?" she asked cautiously. Lily held out her left hand where a ring sat on her third finger. An engagement ring. Belle's eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

"You two...?" she asked, looking between them and they nodded, both smiling. James put his arm around Lily and sighed in complete happiness. Belle squealed much like she had when James and Lily had first gotten together, nearly two years ago now. She threw her arms around Lily, who laughed.

"Congratulations! I'm so happy for you!" Belle said, stepping back and then looking at James, "For both of you."

"Tink, honey, I love you, I do, but you need a shower." Lily said with a laugh and Belle rolled her eyes.

"Alright, alright, I know. I'm going now. Don't do anything interesting while I'm gone, okay?" she said with a laugh before skipping off to the shower, getting dressed and then coming back with her hair still wet but up in a ponytail. She handed out champagne to everybody and then raised her glass.

"A toast!" she called and the room went quiet. "To Lily and James. I'll save the real speech for when you're actually married, but, may you have every happiness that there can be. I've never seen a love like yours, and may it flourish and grow."

"To Lily and James!" Everyone chorused and they drank. James set his glass aside and grabbed Lily around the waist, dipping her low and kissing her passionately. The boys catcalled and they separated, both pink in the face and smiling.

"Save it for the honeymoon, Prongs!" Sirius shouted and James laughed because of Lily's deep blush. Belle sauntered over to Remus, who had an oddly peaceful look on his face.

"What's that face for?" she asked and Remus shrugged, setting his glass aside.

"I just love you." he replied simply. "That's all."

She shifted. "You're in a sappy mood." she noticed as he put his arms around her. Remus chuckled and she felt it deep in his chest as he embraced her.

"Am I not allowed to be?" he asked and Belle shook her head.

"That's not what I meant. It's actually nice to see you in such a good mood today. The full moon's on Sunday."

Remus grimaced. "I know." he said, "But you want to know something?"

"What?"

"I heal faster now. Before we started dating and that time when you left, my transformations were horrible, even with the lads with me. But since then, I've noticed that I don't get injured as badly anymore." he murmured. "And it's all to do with you."

Belle raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Really? How?"

Remus nodded. "I've done some research about it and apparently it's because you're my mate. The wolf recognises you as my other half, and despite the viscous nature, he's still careful not to let me be as...savage." he took Belle's face in his hands. "You're the reason my world is better now."

Belle smiled. "Don't wolves mate for life?" she asked.

"Some do." he replied, "But werewolves don't even breed. They mate, but don't breed."

Belle frowned. "Isn't that the same thing?"

"No." Remus replied. Belle frowned as Remus pressed a chaste kiss to her lips and left to get a refill on his drink. Lily skipped over, practically glowing as she hugged Belle tightly.

"Oh, Tink! I'm so happy! I never thought that it would happen! I never imagined that we'd be getting married!" she said, then drawing back she peered at her best friend with nervous green eyes. "You'll be my maid of honour, right?"

"Of course." Belle replied with a delighted smile. "When do you want to have the wedding?"

"Maybe in September."

"That doesn't give us much time, but I imagine that between you, me and Mary, we can get it done." Belle said with a smile, hugging her best friend.

"Anyway, we'd better get to work." Lily said and Belle laughed.

"Lils, this is your engagement party. Enjoy yourself, get a little drunk and then go and shag your fiançee." Belle said. Lily laughed and winked.

"You know the rumours about him were true?" she giggled and Belle raised her eyebrows.

"What rumours? The ones where he jumped into every Ravenclaw girl's bed in our year alone or the rumour that he's a god in bed?"

"Both!" Lily and Belle started laughing, tears running down their cheeks and they collapsed on the couch, clutching their stomachs. A camera flashed and they looked around, trying to calm down but failing miserably.

"Okay, okay, let me see the ring." Belle said after ten minutes. Lily was still shaking but extended her hand. It was simple but elegant, almost antique. The middle stone was an emerald with two smaller diamonds on either side, the band gold and shiny.

Belle whistled, "Wow."

"It's an old Potter heirloom." Lily said, smiling down at it. "He found it in one of the vaults."

"One of?" Belle asked.

"Well, they have two. One's a trust fund and the other is the entire account." Lily explained and Belle raised an eyebrow.

"I knew James was wealthy, but now I just know that he'd loaded." Belle winked. "Good job, Lils."

"Couldn't have done it without you, Tink."

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!"


	42. Chapter 42

**A.N—Short chapter, this one.**

**Disclaimer—I own a strawberry smoothie, not Harry Potter.**

**OoOoO**

Chapter Forty Two  
September 7th

Belle carefully lowered the dress over Lily's head and fastened the pearl buttons on the back before bending down to adjust the small train. Mary had come over from Venice especially for the Potter wedding, which was to be a small event, with only close friends and family there, although, Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore had been invited. She knew that both of the teachers had a soft spot for James.

"There." Belle said, stepping away to examine her work, Mary at her side.

Lily truly was a vision, in a pure white dress with off the shoulder lace sleeves that ended at her elbows. The rest of the gown was plain and simple, with the hem embroidered with patterns and sparkling in the light. Lily's hair had been curled and half pinned up, her veil held in place with a small comb which had been lent to her by Mary.

"You're perfect!" Mary announced, looking amazing in the leaf green dress that Lily had picked out.

Belle nodded in agreement. "You're going to give James a heart attack."

"So, you have something borrowed and something new, but you don't have something old or blue." Mary said thoughtfully and we both pondered the possibilities. I snapped my fingers and ran from the room, grabbing something and handing it to Lily. It was a scrap of blue cloth and she looked at me strangely.

"It's a cutting from my first ever ballet tutu. It's old and it's blue, so we kill two bird with one stone. You can just put it in your bra or something. I really don't want it back. I still have the whole costume."

Lily laughed and tucked it away, smoothing out her dress and looking nervous suddenly. "What time is it?"

"Time to go, actually." Belle said as Mary handed over the bouquets of cherry blossoms. There was a knock on the door and Remus entered, looking dashing in his dress robes. His eyes widened when he saw Lily, smiling radiantly.

"Wow. Lily, you look..."

"Ravishing? Gorgeous? Goddess-like?" Mary suggested with a smile.

"Beautiful. You look beautiful." Remus smiled. Going over to Belle and kissing her lightly before licking his lips and clapping his hands together. "Are you ready?"

"I was born ready, Remus." she replied taking his arm. Belle and Mary followed them downstairs and into the foyer of the church. Belle gave the signal to the musician and the wedding march started up. Remus was going to give Lily away because her own family couldn't be there, well, Petunia had declined to come.

"I don't know why I'm nervous, I'm not the one getting married." Remus muttered and Belle laughed softly.

"Count to twenty after I've gone and then come out." Belle instructed, pressing a kiss to Remus's lips and then kissing Lily's cheek. She took a breath and then waltzed down the aisle, smiling at James who was beaming and looking almost proud, Sirius standing next to him looking dashing and with his trademark smirk on his face. There were maybe two dozen or so guests there, mostly school friends and members of the Order and James's parents, who were half crying half smiling.

She winked at James who smiled wider, his attention on the doorway. He looked so sure of himself as he stood there, like asking Lily to marry him was the most important thing he ever did. Lily came through the doorway and James seemed to melt on the spot, eyes tender with love.

The ceremony was short and sweet, and ended with the minister turning to James and saying in a well-get-on-with-it voice, "You may kiss your bride."

James didn't miss a beat when he stepped forward and took her face in his hands, kissing Lily gently. She shoved her bouquet at the minster and threw her arms around him, kissing him back while the guests stood up in their seats and cheered.

Belle linked her arm through Remus's and watched as everyone left, sighing contentedly. Mary stood with a camera and snapped a picture of the wedding party, smiling herself. She met Sirius's gaze and blushed, looking at the ground.

"So, things are still awkward I see." Remus said to his friend. Sirius sighed, watching as Belle and Mary disapparated together.

"I'd be surprised if it weren't." Sirius chuckled. "But I suppose that it'll get easier with time. I mean, it's been nearly a year."

"And yet you still aren't over her." Remus smirked. Sirius glared.

"You're a bloody smartarse, Moony." he said before disapparating. Remus chuckled, following suit. Belle was waiting for him and she tucked her arm under his, smiling when he led her out onto the floor. Together they waltzed elegantly around, neither noticing nor caring about anything except the other.

"It all seems a bit surreal sometimes, doesn't it?" she asked, "Us."

Remus shook his head. "No." he replied simply. "If anything, you're the only thing that is real in this world, the only thing that make sense."

Belle smiled. "You're such a sap, Remus."

Louder dance music came on and Remus twirled her around. "No, I'm not." he said, kissing her quickly. "I'm just in love."

"TINK! Get over here!" Lily called, "It's time to throw the bouquet!"

Belle laughed and winked at Remus who made his way over to Sirius and Peter, who were laughing and smiling.

"Okay ready?" Lily turned around with her back to them. "One! Two! Three!" she threw the flowers and Belle jumped up with all the strength she had and got the biggest shock of her life when the bouquet landed in her hands. Belle looked at Lily and she clapped her hands, searching for Remus who had – earlier – caught Lily's garter.

"I think someone's trying to tell you something, Remus!" Lily called, making everyone laugh and Remus blush. Belle shrugged sheepishly, smiling all the same. Sirius nudged Remus and waggled his eyebrows. Remus shoved his friend playfully, grinning.


	43. Chapter 43

**A.N— Review please. **

**Disclaimer—I own nothing. **

**OoOoO**

Chapter Forty Three  
Consumed

Belle was watching TV, a glass of wine on the table and wearing Remus's jumper for comfort. He was on another mission, going undercover at an illegal trading session with Sirius and Peter. James and Lily were still on their honeymoon but would be coming home soon. They'd sent her a few messages, but mostly kept to themselves. Married life suited Lily. Belle had an inkling that she was born to be James's wife, that all of this was meant to be.

Belle glanced at the time and knew she should go to bed, she had rehearsal tomorrow, but she knew that even if she tried, she'd merely toss and turn. Whereas the TV at least gave her something to focus on.

The door opened and Belle whipped around, seeing Remus enter unscathed but pale, a small grimace on his face. She got up slowly and knew instinctively that something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.

"What's happened?" she asked, "Are you hurt?"

"No, but..." Remus looked like he was going to either throw something or start crying.

"But what?" she asked, touching his face gently, "Tell me, love."

"Sirius got hurt." he murmured, his voice full of pain and Remus met her gaze. "He's in St Mungo's right now, but we're going to have to move him soon. Dumbledore doesn't know who to trust at the moment and Voldemort has spies everywhere."

Belle nodded. "When can we see him?"

"In a few hours. Dumbledore's taking him to Andy's house and we'll be able to see him there." he replied, sitting down on the couch heavily and pulling her down with him, nuzzling her neck.

"Did the mission go well, though? Did you achieve what you wanted to?" she asked softly. Remus nodded.

"Blew up the goods, I think that I got three of the Death Eaters with stunners and one got killed by his own rebounding spell." he said, "I'd be sad if it wasn't a skull sucker."

Belle nodded and sighed, closing her eyes. "I'm just happy you're home safe."

**OoOoO**

Belle was cradling flowers as she walked into Sirius's sick room, where he looked pale but otherwise alright, his hip covered in a big bandage. He smiled around and put a hand over his heart when he saw the bouquet.

"Ah, Tink, you shouldn't've." he said and she glared.

"I swear, when I'm old and grey and dead, you're all going to put Belle 'Tink' Grey on my tombstone." she said, shoving the flowers into Sirius's arms while Remus chortled. Sirius set them aside and opened his arms. Belle rolled her eyes, smiling as she hugged him. She drew back.

"Are you feeling alright?"

"Ah, it'll take more than a bloody Death Eater to get rid of me." Sirius smirked. Belle shook her head, sitting down on the bed.

"Dumbledore is getting worried, Padfoot." Remus said with a sigh. "More people have gone missing."

"Since when?"

"Since you got hit." Remus said, "A family in Cheshire and an old couple in the country."

"How long have I been out?" Sirius asked in a worried tone.

"Seven hours." Belle replied in a sad tone.

"This is getting out of control." Sirius said, "We need to stop hitting and running. We need to start creating alliances, gather our forces and fight."

"Sirius, you're talking about a full scale war." Belle reminded him. "People will die."

"People are already dying!"

"That doesn't mean that you should charge head down and in guns blazing and think that you're going to win!" Belle cried. "You can't ask people to sacrifice themselves like that!"

"Please, don't embarrass yourself. What would you know about sacrifice?" Sirius snarled and Belle's eyes widened and her mouth formed an odd grimace before she got up and left, slamming the door behind her. Sirius turned to Remus who was glaring.

"Belle didn't give up her life because unlike the rest of us, she can survive in the Muggle world. She can hide there if she needs to." Remus said.

"Yeah, hiding." Sirius retorted. Remus shook his head.

"Sirius, we all have reasons to fight, and so does Belle. James wants to keep Lily safe, Peter doesn't want to be left alone, I fight for my friends and for all those little boys and girls who need to be protected from Greyback. You fight to get revenge on your family. Belle chooses not to fight because she knows that she's useless in duels and will only get others killed. Besides, she's got her dancing career to think about."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Oh, yes her precious dancing."

"You're being an arse, Sirius." Remus stated plainly. "Shut up. You're so consumed by your revenge that you don't even know that—"

Remus caught himself and shut his mouth into a firm line. Sirius narrowed his eyes and sat up straighter.

"Don't even know what?" Sirius asked and Remus sighed.

"After you got hit...Marcus, Peter and I saw something you're not going to like."

"What is it?" Sirius demanded, his eyes stony.

"One of the Death Eaters masks came off and it...it was Regulus."

Sirius blanched. "You're lying."

"Would I lie to you?" Remus asked in a soft tone. Sirius shook his head.

"It can't be. When I left...I told him to be strong..." he murmured and Remus clapped a hand onto his friends shoulder in sympathy. He couldn't form any words that would comfort Sirius, so he merely sat there, hoping that his presence would be of some help to Sirius.


	44. Chapter 44

**A.N—Sad. **

**Disclaimer—Do I look like an Amazing author?**

**OoOoO**

Chapter Forty Four

Small Bump

Sirius apologised to Belle about what he'd said, but it had struck a cord within her. He had been right. She was being selfish by not fighting, but she was a horrible dueller. She'd get herself killed but that didn't mean that she could idly stand by. Maybe she should speak to Poppy Pomfrey about learning some minor healing spells.

James smiled down at Lily as he called for silence, claiming that they had an announcement. Belle paused as she went to raise her white wine to her mouth and Remus took her hand. Sirius looked confused and intrigued while Peter looked somewhat...bored?

"What is it?" Remus asked. Lily looked up at James before throwing something at Remus, who reflexively caught it with his left hand and raised an eyebrow. "It's a baby rattle."

"Mmm hmm." Lily smiled. Belle's jaw dropped and she immediately saw the glow around Lily, the radiant glow that meant—

"Baby!" Belle shrieked, jumping to her feet and hugging Lily tightly. "You're having a baby! Oh that's wonderful! Congratulations!"

"Blimey a baby." Sirius breathed and Peter smiled. Remus kissed Lily on the cheek and shook James's hand before running into the kitchen and breaking open a bottle of champagne. He sent the glasses flying around the room, but Lily declined and accepted water instead. They toasted and after a while, Sirius went to floo Mary to tell her the news. Peter left soon after, leaving James and Remus in the living room doing celebratory shots and the girls in the kitchen over cups of tea.

James was beaming, hadn't stopped in the four hours that they'd been at the Potter house in Godric's Hollow. He seemed exhilarated like this news of new life was completely overwhelming for him.

Lily was chattering on about how she'd need to go shopping for a baby crib, a pram, not to mention the clothes and toys. Belle smiled and made the appropriate responses when they were needed, not really wanting to contribute much. In truth she felt an ache somewhere deep inside her, a longing for a child of her own. She could picture the baby in her head, with her eyes and Remus's hair and face, but her character. The image only made her heart hurt more and Belle had to fight back tears.

"Belle?" Lily asked, a concerned look on her face. "Is everything alright?"

Belle blinked and shook her head, a smile on her face, "I'm just getting over the surprise, that's all. You're so young." she lied, tracing the rim of her cup.

"No time like the present." Lily shrugged. "What with this war and all."

"So you're not scared?" Belle asked and Lily shook her head and took a gulp of tea.

"Well, a little bit, but mostly I'm excited. I know that giving birth is going to be hard, but I suppose it'll be worth it."

"It's funny. You've been married for nearly two months and now you're expecting...Don't you think that this is going a bit fast?" Belle asked cautiously, not wanting to hurt Lily's feelings.

Lily shook her head and leaned closer. "Do you believe in true love, Belle?"

"Of course I do." Belle replied instantly. It was what she felt with Remus, after all.

"That's what this thing between James and I is. I know it. And when you feel that way about somebody—"

"There is no such thing as too quick." Belle finished. "Because who cares about time when you have eternal love?"

"Exactly." Lily agreed, taking a sip from her teacup. Belle nodded.

"So, have you thought about names, yet?" Belle asked. Lily glanced at the boys before nodding. "Well?"

"I was thinking of Bella Rose for a girl and Harry James for a boy." Lily said, a glowing smile on her face. Belle frowned.

"Bella Rose?" she asked.

"Well, Rose was my mothers name and Bella...well, I couldn't name her Belle, could I? That'd get a bit confusing at family gatherings." Lily said with a gentle smile. Belle bit her lip with tears in her eyes.

"Oh, Lily." she sighed. "You're going to make me cry."

Lily laughed and took their cups to the sink. Belle followed her, helping her clean up. Lily was silent for a while before she tossed the tea towel down and turned to Belle, a no-nonsense look on her face and her hand on her hip.

"Okay, what's going on? You're acting...strange."

"Excuse me?" Belle asked with a raised eyebrow. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, you've been acting off since I told you about the baby." Lily said softly. "Now what's wrong?"

Belle sniffed. "I guess I'm just jealous."

Lily let out a derisive huff. "You're jealous?"

"You're so happy. You're married with a house and a baby on the way...and I'll never be able to have that."

Lily frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I can't have children, Lily." Belle said sadly. Lily blanched.

"What? Are you sick?"

"No. Because of Remus." she said, "Because of his lycanthropy."

Lily waved a dismissive hand. "You're kidding me right? That's the reason? Oh, honey bell, even though werewolves don't breed as wolves doesn't mean that they can't have kids when they're human."

Belle shook her head. "He wouldn't listen to me anyway. You know how he gets about his condition."

"Do you want children, Belle?" Lily asked and her friend nodded.

"Not right now, but yes. I'd like to get married first, though." Belle confessed, glancing out the kitchen door to make sure they weren't being overheard. "But I don't see that happening any time soon. Remus is pretty much clueless."

"And why _not_? Why can't you get married? You're gorgeous. If I were Remus I'd snap you up quickly because a girl like you isn't going to wait around forever. Besides," Lily glanced at the boys who were now laughing loudly. "I've heard that your flexibility is quite helpful in between the sheets, if you know what I mean."

Belle giggled and blushed. "Well, it doesn't matter as I'm not getting married and I can't have kids. The only joy in my life will be my dancing and spoiling my godchildren rotten."

"Who said that you'll be godmother?" Lily smiled and Belle shoved her friend lightly.

"You realise that getting pregnant means you can't go on anymore order missions? And from what I've heard, you've already pissed the big bad head Death Eater off three times already?" Belle said, jumping up to sit on the bench.

"Yeah, I guess so. But if it means keeping this little one safe," Lily said, patting her stomach, "It's worth it."

Belle smiled and then sighed. "It's getting a bit late. I think I'll go home, get some rest."

Lily nodded. "Alright then. But do me a favour?"

"Sure."

"Talk to Remus about the whole marriage-baby thing. Communication is the most important thing in a relationship."

"I thought that was trust." Belle smirked.

"Shut up Tink." Lily laughed. "Go on. And good luck."

Belle heaved in a breath. "I'll need it.

**OoOoO**

Remus looked up at Belle who was reading by the candlelight, her hair tumbling down her shoulders and glasses on her nose. Most of the time she wore contact lenses, but from time to time she chose to wear the spectacles. They made her look beautiful in an intelligent, dorky way. He sighed and she spared him a sideways glance before going back to her book.

"You're staring." she stated. Remus smiled cheekily.

"I'm gazing."

"It's creepy."

"No, it's romantic." Remus corrected, making Belle giggle. He traced patterns on the exposed skin of her stomach, marvelling at the muscle there. Upon studying her face more closely he saw that she was anxious about something. Then again, they were in the middle of a war. "What's on your mind?" Remus asked. Belle shook her head and turned the page.

"Well, right now I'm wondering if I'll be able to finish the book before tomorrow." she replied in a half truthful way.

"Liar."

Belle sighed. "It's nothing, really."

Remus took her book from her, marked the page and then placed it on the bedside table, pulling her around to lie next to him while he propped his head in his hand. She looked up at him with those magical eyes of hers and he frowned, concerned.

"Now tell me the truth." he said softly. Belle sighed.

"I was talking with Lily a few days ago after she broke the news about the baby." she sighed. Remus twirled her hair around his fingers and nodded.

"I know. What did you talk about?" he asked and when she hesitated, he added, "Come on, Belle, talk to me."

"We were talking about babies." she admitted and Remus raised an eyebrow at her. "And about how I can't have ever a family."

Remus's face drained of colour and he stared at her. "Belle..."

"And I told her that it's okay because I still have you and I'll have my godchildren to spoil instead." Belle added hastily, "And I know what you're going to say, and it's okay. I know why, but it doesn't make the pain any easier. So, let's just settle with the fact that it's not your fault nor mine, it's just the way things are."

Remus watched as she turned the lamp off and snuggled down under the covers, turning away from him. "Goodnight, Remus."

"Belle?" he said, sounding troubled as he moved closer.

"Mm?"

"I'm sorry." he whispered, kissing the spot just below her ear.

"What for?" she asked, her back still to him.

"That I can't give you what you want."

"But you did." Belle said. "I have you, after all, don't I?"

Remus wound an arm around her waist and nuzzled her neck, kissing her cheek softly, not noticing the tears falling down her face.


	45. Chapter 45

**A.N—It's Christmas time now. :) Please Review.**

**Disclaimer—Nope.**

**OoOoO**

Chapter Forty Five  
Big Blue Bow

The snow was falling outside and Belle was wrapped up in her brand new Holyhead Harpies jumper, two steaming mugs of tea in her hands as she sat down next to Remus by the tree which glittered with lights and tinsel. He smiled and took the mug from her and drank a little before handing her the presents under the tree. Together they opened them in silence, only breaking that by exclamations of excitement. Finally Remus pushed a large round box with a bow on top. He smiled, "From me."

Belle frowned. "What is it?" she asked and Remus laughed.

"Open it." he urged and Belle did so, letting out a gasp. Inside the box, lying curled up and tiny was a little cocker spaniel dog. She had large drooping ears and big brown eyes, her fur the same golden brown colour as Belle's hair.

"Oh, Remus." she sighed, lifting the tiny puppy out of the box and holding her. "She's gorgeous!"

Remus grinned. "You like her then?" he asked and Belle gushed.

"Of course I do! She's perfect! A beautiful little lady!" she smiled. "What should we call her?"

"I was thinking something cool like maybe Arya, Neferteri or Nymeria." he said casually. Belle thought.

"I like Arya." she said, scratching the little puppy behind her ears affectionately. "Why did you do this?"

"Do what?"

"Get me a puppy." Belle giggled as Arya began to lick her face.

"Well, I thought that maybe she could be our baby." Remus said, sounding hesitant. "I know it's not quite the same but...it's the best I can do."

Belle gazed at him for a long time, realising what her confession must have made him think and feel. She felt guilty now.

"Remus—"

"Belle, I can't blame you for wanting what every other person on this planet wants at one stage; a family. I'm just sorry that I can't give it to you." Remus murmured. Belle placed Arya on the floor to play with the wrapping paper before leaning over to kiss Remus soundly on the lips.

"I love you for trying." she whispered before picking Arya up and smiling.

**OoOoO**

"And who is this little one?" Sirius asked, looking down into Belle's arms where Arya curled up. The ballerina placed the puppy on the floor and smiled when Sirius turned into a dog, playfully yapping at her. Arya began barking a shrill, fun bark that made Remus and Belle laugh.

"That's our newest addition, Arya." Belle replied, watching as the great black dog pushed a red ball towards the puppy, who played with it happily and engaged with Sirius in a playful way.

Belle walked over to Lily, who's stomach was now showing the first signs of pregnancy and she was glowing happily. "Remus got me a puppy."

"I can see that." Lily giggled. "Just make sure that she doesn't go to the toilet inside.'

"Don't worry, I think Padfoot has it all under control." Belle said, watching as Arya waddled on her short legs and large paws after Sirius, who looked happy to have a friend.

"What gave Remus the idea to get a dog?" Lily asked.

"It was the whole baby thing. I guess he feels guilty."

Lily sniffed. "And so he should." she said, cocking a hip to the side and putting a balled fist there as she leaned against the counter.

"Lily!" Belle berated.

"What? He's being ridiculous about this whole thing. Lycanthropy isn't an inherited gene. It's passed on through the bite, otherwise werewolves would be able to breed as wolves. It makes perfect sense."

"Well, try telling that to him, would you?" Belle sighed. "However, I like the idea of having a puppy. Besides, isn't she adorable?"

"Yes, she's very cute." Lily smiled. James came up behind her and she smiled up at him while he held mistletoe over their heads. Belle looked away while they shared a short, sweet kiss, smiling. Stefan came through the door and pointed over his shoulder. "I see Sirius has a new girlfriend."

Belle and Lily laughed. "No," Lily said, "That's Arya, Belle's baby."

"Remus got me a puppy." Belle smiled and Stefan smiled.

"Well, she's adorable." he said. "So, I got in touch with Peter."

"Where is he, anyway?" James asked, leading his wife over to the couch. Stefan sat down with a sigh and pulled Belle down into his lap.

"Well, he's still trying to shag that waitress from that pub in town." he said and Sirius let out a weird bark like cough which could have been a laugh.

"Oh, he is so never drinking that ." James tutted. Lily laughed and rubbed her stomach. Stefan pointed at her abdomen.

"When are you due?" he asked and Lily beamed.

"Late July." she replied.

"Have you got a preference on gender?" Remus asked from across the room.

"Well, I think it's a boy, but James thinks it's a girl." she replied. James shrugged.

"I think I may die if it's a boy." Belle sighed. "If he's as ugly as you James—"

"You little..." James launched himself at Belle who took off, giggling. Arya tottered to Belle's side and started barking at James, jumping up and down as she did so. James laughed and Belle smiled, scooping the puppy up into her arms and kissing her silky head.

"She's just protecting her mama, isn't that right, darling Arya?" Belle cooed. The dog yapped and licked Belle's face, making everyone laugh.


	46. Chapter 46

**A.N—Skipping ahead in time now, it's ****May 1980. ****I decided to heat it up a bit.**

**Disclaimer—I own a packet of sour scream and onion flavoured chips, not Harry Potter.**

**OoOoO**

Chapter Forty Six  
Kiss Me Sweet

Belle was in the kitchen when Remus got home from another mission, washing the dishes and her feet bare, aside from the sports tape around each toe and her heels. She was wearing yoga pants and a baggy jumper with her hair down. Arya was asleep in her basket near the fire, slightly bigger now and a blue collar glinting around her neck.

She turned when she heard the door close and she dried her hands, smiling. "You're home."

He nodded, walking forward and holding her close. "I'm home."

Belle pulled him down to kiss him and he reacted intensely. He ran his hand through her hair and kissed her furiously, running his tongue over her lips and she let him explore her mouth, moaning a little as electricity sparked through her. Belle wrapped her arms around his shoulders and jumped a little to wrap her legs around his narrow hips.

Remus began to walk to the bedroom, lowering her down gently before straightening up and shrugging out of his jumper and throwing it onto the floor. Belle began kissing him again, her lips travelling down his neck and under his jaw while he unbuttoned her blouse, exposing her bra and stomach to his view.

Remus pinned her hands above her head and kissed down her neck in all the places he knew that Belle liked. She moaned and closed her eyes, enjoying herself.

"Remus...what's happened?" she whispered. He stopped and frowned at her.

"What do you mean?" he asked. Belle rolled them over, looking down at him.

"I mean, you've been acting odd as of late and I would like to know what's going on." she smiled. "If Sirius is trying to convince you to let him in on some kinky threesome you can tell him that—"

Remus laughed, "No. Nothing like that. It's just..."

"Just what?" she asked.

"Wait. Sirius has been asking you about threesomes?" he asked and Belle smacked his shoulder lightly.

"Come on. Be serious. No pun intended." she said looking down at him. "What's happened?"

"Dumbledore wants me to go undercover for two months in a werewolf pack." he sighed, sitting up. Belle licked her lips and tucked the same wisp of stubborn hair behind her ear.

"And are you going to do it?" she asked and Remus hesitated.

"Well, I thought about it but something stopped me."

"What?"

"You." he replied, running his hand sup and down the backs of her thighs as she straddled his lap.

Belle blinked. "Oh." she stuttered.

"I couldn't leave you alone for two months like that and with Arya too. Plus you'll be looking after Lily as well and you've got two big productions coming up..."

"Remus...I think you should go." Belle said and he frowned.

"Think about it for a minute, Belle. You realise that if I go—"

"—that you could die? I know." she sighed, brushing his hair through with her fingers. "but I think that you won't forgive yourself if you don't go and if you're miserable, there'll be no living with you because quite frankly, you're insufferable when you're in a mood."

"Oh ho!" Remus chuckled, pretending to be stung, gripping her hips and using his strength to switch her around so that he was hovering on top. Belle grinned and brushed his brown hair off his forehead gently.

"You know I'm right, though." she said. Remus sighed.

"If I go, you know I can't contact you, that I won't see you for two months?"

Belle nodded, "I know. When does Dumbledore want you to go?"

Remus swallowed. "Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?!" she cried. "Why didn't you tell me about it?"

"I only found out at the meeting today." he said sadly. Belle's lip wobbled and she heaved in a long breath before letting it out.

"Well, then, I suppose that you'll need a goodnight sleep." she said. Remus grinned wolfishly and chuckled.

"If I'm going, we won't be sleeping." he murmured seductively to her. She giggled.

"What will we be doing?" she asked, a cheeky smile on her face as he bent to kiss her, aware that this could be the last time they're together like this. Just the two of them and their love.


	47. Chapter 47

**A.N—June, 1980. I imagine Arya to look like Lady from **_**Lady and the Tramp**_**. PLEASE REVIEW because this chapter should give you all something to say. **

**Disclaimer—If I owned Harry Potter, Remus, Sirius and Fred would never have died. **

**OoOoO**

Chapter Forty Seven  
Notice.

Belle helped Lily to the couch, fluffing up the pillows and smiling down at her friend who was now eight months pregnant and looked like a watermelon was growing in her stomach. James was being attentive and sweet, but Belle secretly thought that he was tired. Sirius was doing his best to lighten the mood and often took James out for a drink or to a local Quidditch match just so the girls could have some alone time. Peter was always working or on missions, behaving very strangely lately.

Lily sighed and bit her lip. "So, Remus is coming home today?"

"Yes he is." Belle replied, handing Lily a glass of water.

"And are you going to tell him?" Lily asked. Belle bit her lip and shook her head.

"I can't." she said. Lily tutted.

"He's going to notice eventually." Lily said, "I mean, you've taken the year off ballet and you're staying home to take your healer course. He's going to ask why."

"He won't notice until my belly is blocking the TV." Belle sighed, "He's a guy."

"You can't honestly think that he won't notice that you're pregnant...and with his child!" Lily hissed. Belle grimaced. She had figured out when she'd gotten pregnant and it had been that night before his mission, the night before he left. She was terrified by what he would say, what he would do. Remus had made it abundantly clear that he was never having children.

"So, how are you going to carry the baby, give birth and raise it without Remus knowing?" Lily droned. Belle sighed.

"I've told the company that I'm panning on taking a year off to travel and scout out some new sponsors for the school. I'll carry the baby and give birth overseas. I think I may give it up for adoption or come back and say that I found the poor thing abandoned on the street." Belle sighed. "Dumbledore will have sent him on another mission by then. He won't even notice anything."

"And how are you going to explain the excess fat and skin from having a baby when you get back?" Lily snorted. Belle smirked.

"I've got lots of cousins who have had babies. They use a potion to return their stomachs to their former state. It's easy to make and the ingredients are easy enough to get a hold of. I even brought you a bottle for after." Belle said, digging a vial out of her pocket and handing it over. "Lily, relax. I've got it all planned out."

"This isn't like you." Lily stated, waving the potion around. "I know that you've lied to protect yourself in the past, but why are you lying now?"

"To protect this baby." Belle glared. "If Remus knew – if anyone knew – they'd kill it and me along with it."

Lily opened her mouth but then shut it, conceding that Belle was right. A hybrid werewolf would be seen as a threat and hunted down, destroyed for being something unexplainable. Lily rubbed her swollen abdomen and sighed.

"When are you going to leave?" she whispered, her eyes on the back door where the boys were wrestling like children. Arya sat at the girls' feet, napping.

"After you've had your little one." Belle replied. "Then I'm going to vanish for a while."

They sat in silence for a while, simply watching as Arya snoozed on the carpet at their feet.

"Ugh, I hate being pregnant sometimes. The first three months is the worst." Lily groaned, shifting on the couch.

"I know." Belle sighed.

"You're so horny all the time. I think I scared James at one stage when I came on to him and he didn't expect it." Lily giggled, making Belle laugh.

"I feel the same way. I think when Remus gets home I may just rip his clothes off." Belle chuckled. "But if he suspects...I'm in trouble."

Lily nodded. "What are you going to name it?"

Belle bit her lip. "Xavier for a boy, Evelyn for a girl." she replied. "Moving into the house was a bit of a pain but I think that Remus will like the surprise."

"What surprise will I like?" asked a low voice that melted the bones in Belle's body. She shot from the couch and threw her arms around a haggard looking Remus, who wrapped his arms around Belle, holding her small warm body to his own, happy to be home. He closed his eyes in bliss, sighing. She stepped back a little.

"You're home." she smiled. Remus nodded, grinning.

"I'm home." he said, his eyes landing on Lily, who waved from her spot on the couch. "Hey Lily."

"Hello Remus." she said, "Good to see you."

Remus walked around the back of the couch and kissed Lily's cheek. "You're looking...well..."

"Fat. And pregnant." Lily smirked. Remus grimaced.

"Well, I wasn't going to say it like that, but yeah." he chuckled, wincing a bit when Belle slapped his arm in a joking manner. Arya had woken up and was panting with her tongue hanging out, yapping at her master who scooped the dog up and hugged her. "And there's my little lady!" he cried with a smile.

"Moony!"

"There you are mate!"

"About time you got here!"

"We thought you'd died or something!"

Sirius and James crashed into the living room and embraced their friend tightly, chuckling and grinning. They started going on about all that he'd missed in the two months that he'd been away and Lily shook her head with a fond smile on her face while Belle laughed, playing on the floor with Arya.

"Have you told him yet?"

Remus looked around at Belle, an eyebrow raised. "Told me what?"

Belle looked pale. "About what?" she asked Lily and Lily winked.

"You know. The location."

Belle blinked and then her expression cleared. "Oh right!" she said. "Come on, Arya! Home!"

Arya began to run around excitedly. Remus frowned in confusion but took Belle's hand, following her out of the house. "Behave you two!" Sirius called out with a grin and Belle shook her head, happy to have his hand back in hers.

"So how did the mission go?" she asked. Remus grimaced.

"They didn't trust me all that much at first, they were cautious and suspicious. After the first three weeks they seemed to realise that I was there to stay, and that's when I saw them for the ravenous wolves that they were. I travelled with them to a village up in the mountains...and they attacked. They killed everybody, not just the men, but the women and children. I did what I could to save them, but no more than a dozen got out alive." Remus shook his head, sighing heavily. "It wasn't long after that I left. Took me four weeks to get out of the mountains on foot and then another two to get a message to Dumbledore. I would have been home a few weeks ago, but..."

"I understand." Belle said, putting a hand around his arm and cuddling up to his side, Arya walking alongside them. To any onlookers they'd merely look like a normal couple out taking their dog for a walk.

"So what have you been up to?" he asked. Belle shrugged.

"I've been finishing my healing course with Poppy, and I've decided to take the year from Ballet to go out and scout out sponsors for the school." she told him, only half lying. "And I bought a cottage."

Remus blanched. "You what?"

"I bought a cottage with a small backyard for Arya and a white picket fence." Belle smiled. "I've had some time to save up for it and it was quite small and cosy, more than enough for two people."

Remus raised an eyebrow. "Belle..."

"I know what you're going to say and just don't bother. The money is nothing, really." she assured, her eyes on Arya who was chasing some birds. "Besides it's bought and paid for, so stop complaining."

Remus glared but said nothing as she brought him to the small cottage nestled between two other houses. It was two storeys high and had a small front garden and about the same out the back. It was painted a warm brown colour and the chimney spouted grey smoke. Remus and Belle walked in, Belle watching while he explored.

"Do you like it?" she asked and Remus turned around a smile on his face. She laughed and jumped into his arms where he twirled her around.

"It's perfect." he murmured. "I love it. Almost as much as I love you."

Belle kissed his nose. "I love you too."


	48. Chapter 48

**A.N—So, about that potion. A reviewer asked me if that means that Lily and Belle can't breastfeed their babies. And I should probably have been specific. It only affects their stomachs, so they don't have any stretch marks or extra skin. They can still breastfeed. Just so you know.**

**Three chapters left, I think. Please review. **

**Disclaimer—You're all delusional.**

**OoOoO**

Chapter Forty Eight  
Mop of Black Hair

Sirius burst into the Lupin household, panting and looking pale. There was a pause before Remus and Belle rushed down the stairs, both in some sort of state of undress and both their lips swollen. Sirius would have made a cheeky remark if the situation wasn't so dire.

"What's going on, Sirius?" Belle asked, sounding breathless. Sirius swallowed.

"It's Lily. She's just gone into labour." he said. Belle blinked and then ran back upstairs, returning a moment later with a duffel bag and dressed. Together the three apparated to the Potter house where Lily was lying on the couch, a grimace on her face and James at her side. Belle took charge quickly.

"We need to get her upstairs." Belle said. "James can you carry her?

James nodded and lifted her up into his arms as easily as carrying a feather. She moaned a little in pain and James went extremely pale. He took each step as slowly and gently as possible before he walked into the bedroom and set her down on the bed. Belle plonked her bag on the ground and waved her wand, the items flying out, ointments and potions as well as linens and a bowl which filled with steaming water.

"Now get out." Belle ordered, shoving James out.

"I can't just leave her!" he cried desperately. Belle frowned.

"James, you need to wait downstairs with the boys." she said softly. "I'll take care of her, of both of them. I promise."

James went reluctantly, the door closing behind him. Belle turned to Lily and rolled up her sleeves.

"Okay." she sighed. "Let's get to it."

**OoOoO**

James paced in front of the fire while Sirius poured himself another drink, downing it quickly. Peter was twisting the end of his cloak around tightly and Remus had his head in his hands, Lily's screams of agony ripping through each of the men like a physical wound. James looked so pale Remus worried his friend would faint, his jaw clenched and running his hands through his hair.

Hours had gone by and Lily was still in labour. Belle had come down a few times to get fresh water and had told them that it wasn't going easy on Lily. Remus jumped when Lily screamed again. Sirius got up and put a hand on James's shoulder, sitting him down and pressing a glass of firewhisky into his hand.

"Here. It'll help the nerves."

"Should it take this long?" James croaked before throwing the alcohol back. "I mean, I feel so helpless."

"It's been five hours. It'll be any minute now." Remus said, "And in situations like this, we men are nothing but nuisances. It's been that way since the dawn of time."

"It'll be fine, Prongs." Sirius assured, "Tink will take care of her."

**OoOoO**

"Just one more push, Lily! Just one more!" Belle encouraged and her friend gave a final shuddering screech before slumping backwards, a small cry filling the room. Lily was panting, a smile on her tired and sweaty face. Belle wrapped the baby in a bundle before handing him to his mother, who let out a breathless laugh and closed her eyes.

"Oh, he's perfect." Lily said softly. "My little Harry."

Belle wiped her cheeks which were wet with her tears. "Shame he looks like his dad." she laughed wetly and Lily grinned, her eyes drooping. Belle took Harry off Lily and set him aside, cleaning up and putting Lily to sleep. It had been a difficult birth and she needed rest.

Belle turned to Harry and dressed him, wiping the blood off his tiny body and smiling at the mop of black hair on his head, his tiny mouth moving hungrily, yet he was silent aside from the little whimpers he let out every now and then. Belle gathered him up into her arms and set off downstairs. The four boys were on their feet near the fire, so still they could have been statues. Belle smiled and walked directly to James who couldn't take his eyes off the swaddling in Belle's arms.

"James...I'd like you to meet your son, Harry." she whispered, tilting the bundle so that James could look into his son's face which was small and pink and sleeping. He sucked in a breath.

"He's...he's mine?"

"I certainly hope so." Belle winked, showing James how to hold the baby and watching with a glowing expression as James Potter, the toughest man she knew aside from Alastor Moody, began to cry with pride and joy.

"He's so beautiful!" James sniffed. "Hi there. Hi. I'm your dad."

Remus put an arm around Belle who had tears in her own eyes as she watched the touching scene in front of her. Sirius peered over James's shoulder.

"Damn." Sirius cursed.

"What?" James asked, not taking his eyes off his son.

"He looks just like you. Poor kid." he tutted, chuckling when James glared. Belle wiped her eyes.

"Where's Lily?" James asked softly after a long while.

"She's upstairs resting. You can see her if you'd like but she's asleep."

"Will you watch him?" James asked, handing the baby to her. Harry settled into Belle's arms and she began to walk around humming gently as James tore up the stairs to see his wife. Remus watched with faint amusement but with an ache of guiltiness. She'd never be able to do this herself, have a baby. They'd never get to go pram shopping together and he wouldn't get to paint the baby's room. She'd be stuck looking after other people's children and Remus wished with all his heart that she could one day hold _his_ child in her arms.

But, it wasn't meant to be.

"Welcome to the family, little Harry Potter," Belle murmured. "You make eight now. There's me and Remus and Peter and Sirius and Mary and your mum and dad. We're all going to take such good care of you. I promise."

"Yeah." Sirius agreed before looking at Remus.

Remus smiled at them both before holding his arms out. "Okay, hand him over."

"No." Belle frowned, shifting the baby away from her boyfriend and out of his reach. "You'll get your turn later."

Sirius barked a laugh at Remus's peeved expression. Remus wound his arms around Belle's waist, kissing her cheek.

"I love you." he said softly and Belle smiled, knowing that in a few short months, she would be holding her own baby like this.

"I know." she replied, sounding just a bit sad as she did so and Remus frowned, a pang of worry ripping through him.


End file.
